


All About Us

by aceofhearts88



Series: All About Us Series [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Little bit of angst, M/M, Wakanda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-05-31 10:04:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 53,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6466063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceofhearts88/pseuds/aceofhearts88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE]</p><p>T'Challa is a king.</p><p>There is nothing in the world that Bucky is more painfully aware of. Because he? He is an Avenger, it's written there on his paperwork, official work status: Avenger. The truth? The thought of fighting again made him want to crawl under a rock.</p><p>He wasn't that person anymore. He wasn't the Soldier anymore. He didn't do that anymore.</p><p>But who was he then? Who was James Buchanan Barnes now? </p><p>Sixteen months after the end of the Civil War, Bucky leaves New York for a vacation in Wakanda, hoping that he'll find out just who he was now, how he wanted to spend the future that was given to him again. And maybe, maybe even with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Take it in, feel it all and hold it

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katsai25](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katsai25/gifts), [HyperRaspberry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperRaspberry/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Not awake enough for this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6371341) by [aceofhearts88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceofhearts88/pseuds/aceofhearts88). 



> This work is a sequel to a prior oneshot of mine where T'Chucky was a end note to a Stony proposal storyline. It's called "Now awake enough for this". Click on the link to read it, but it is not entirely necessary.
> 
> Though there are two people who first prompted this and henceworth have my eternal gratitude for giving me the reason to this, getting me completely hooked on this ship, I want to gift this to even way more people who have helped me start this and give me the courage to post this. Especially Zoe who took her time reading through a still unsorted row of scenes just so I could be a little more assured in what I started to write. Thank you!

"Oh, come on."

The woman standing right next to the black Jeep with the tinted windows shrugged one shoulder, her black hair braided back, the black and blue uniform of the Dora Milaje in impeccable order. Her face, devoid of a smile, was still friendly, dark brown eyes almost daring Bucky to finish his thought out loud, something he did with pleasure.

Leaving the airport building, he shrugged the bag higher upon his shoulder as he walked over to the warrior of the king's personal guard.  
"He better have a fucking good apology for this." He cut out, dropping the bag upon the backseat of the car whose door the woman had wordlessly opened for him, Bucky pushed it shut again, turning unimpressed blue eyes on her again.

Once upon a time he might have tried it with stiff manners, would have felt uncomfortable in the presence of a member of the royal guard. Would have bit his tongue to keep from cursing, but since T'Challa's last visit to New York and especially the stint at the club Bucky had found himself at with half of the Dora Milaje one night, he saw some things differently, especially a hand full of these female warriors.

"King T'Challa sends his sincerest apologies, something came up that needed his immediate attention. He awaits you at the palace." Naomi told him, flashed her teeth in a smirk when he scoffed and offered her his hand first. She shook it tight and then opened the passenger door for him before walking around the car, Bucky rolled his eyes and got in.

"He better be, he made promises." He grumbled as the car got started and Naomi pulled into the street, the strict facade falling from her face as she laughed quietly.  
"Trust me, Barnes, he's been frazzled with preparations all week. The second you put one foot inside the country, he shoved all work into the hands of the council and pine after you all day long." He turned his head to the side upon Naomi's half chuckled words, watching her profile as she drove the car down the street leading off the airport grounds in the outskirts of the capital.

"Show respect to your king," he told her and Naomi snorted, turning left on the main highway.  
"I grew up with T'Challa, Barnes, and by noon today he has officially been set into vacation mode, and that means he is my friend now, not my king." She put into perspective and it was Bucky's turn to snort as he rolled his head towards the window, watching the countryside fly past.  
"You're still going to shadow us like the world's most creepiest chaperones," he pointed out as drily as possible, watching the amount of foreign trees and flowers rush by.

"Tokomi and I will be very discreet. You won't even notice us."

"T'Challa won't."

"Yeah, because he'll be watching you all day long."

"We're not teenagers, we do have some dignity, you know? We're friends, not star crossed lovers." Bucky ended the quick back and forth, Naomi laughed for a while, loud and boisterous, just like he had finally gotten to know her as a person when T'Challa had sent his bodyguards off duty while he was under the Avengers' protection in Stark Tower. She didn't say anything in response to that truth be told very half-assed defense.

But despite how well he got along with the leader of T'Challa's personal guard, he didn't trust her enough to talk about the true amount of what his heart was thinking about her king. Steve knew. Sam knew. Clint and Natasha probably suspected by now.

In the silence that fell over them, Bucky turned his attention back on the view outside the windows, he had never been in Wakanda before, had heard about the country of course, from Steve, from Tony, from Clint and most importantly...he had heard about Wakanda from T'Challa. Heard about this beautiful country from someone who knew it better than anyone else, who loved it more than anyone else.

Casual talks after the Avengers had united again and Steve and Tony had prompted everyone to get along in order to have a united strong force against Ross, the government and Hydra. T'Challa and him had needed many superficial small talk until they even dared to be alone in a room together without starting to claw each other's throats out again. But then Bucky had finally been guilt-tripped enough by Steve's and Clint's combined puppy eyes, had turned up with beer at the guest rooms Tony had given the Wakandian king while he remained in New York and had asked him about Wakanda.

It had started a friendship.

And in the following months, they grew closer, T'Challa saved Bucky from Crossbones, Bucky protected T'Challa against Zemo. T'Challa raised his voice just as loud as Steve when it came to Bucky's trial. In the following weeks, despite T'Challa return to his kingdom, awkward conversations turned into genuine interest into what the others' days had been like. Emails turned into phone calls, turned into skype calls.

T'Challa talked about Wakanda, about life in the palace, about still trying to find his place in a golden cage, about the people who thought they could dictate his life just because they had a title to their name. He complained about the council, he spoke about the people he could trust, the few people he called friends.

Bucky talked about New York, about life in the tower, surrounded by the craziness of the Avengers, about still trying to find a place in this new world, about the people who still thought he could never be anyone else than a ruthless assassin controlled by Hydra. He complained about his therapists and Stark, whined about Steve's guilt trips, groaned about the rising amount of gut wrenching cuteness between Steve and Tony.

Soon enough there was a barely a two day break where they didn't talk to each other. And Bucky became good in pretending to be oblivious of the looks everyone but Steve and Tony kept sending him when he walked into the kitchen in the mornings, grinning from one ear to another, phone still held between shoulder and ear while an accented voice kept muttering about state banquets and fussy council elders.

Just when his feelings had started to change, Bucky couldn't pin down exactly, just as much as he couldn't tell just when T'Challa had turned into his second closest friend in this new life. It was just that one day, Wakanda hadn't seemed so far away anymore, and Bucky had known that he was screwed.

And now, where he was truly here for the first time, where he was seeing it all with his own eyes for the very first time, it somehow felt like coming back to a familiar place after all. 

\--

"We're not going to the palace?" Bucky asked when Naomi turned the car off the main road in the inner city, no longer going straight towards the impressive white building nestled into the green oasis in the middle of a blooming city. It all reminded him a lot of New York, it didn't feel strange, it all felt so familiar, only more beautiful, more magical.

"He'll surely give you a tour at some point if you want, show you all his secret little corners, but if he doesn't get out of there for a couple of days no one will understand that he needs this vacation to no longer be tempted to claw out their throats." Naomi explained, driving down a road that led through suburbs and then up into the mountains, "T'Challa has a house up there, secluded, protected, safe. No staff, no listening ears, no prying eyes. He can have privacy there."

"I thought he had you for the throat clawing," Bucky focused his response on the first part of her statement, trying very hard not to think of being alone with T'Challa in a secluded place in total privacy.  
"Aww," Naomi cooed, "I knew why I liked you." Around them the houses left and right of the street gave away to thick jungle, the difference was mind bogling, and Bucky was quickly distracted again.

Distracted enough that he very much gasped when the trees gave away to a high silver gleaming gate at the end of the road, a white wall on both sides separating the wild jungle forest from the clean cut palm trees in the frontyard of the white one story house.  
"Yeah, he's got good taste," Naomi chuckled and stopped the car in front of the gate, there wasn't a guard in sight, but Bucky doubted the king's personal little hide-out would be unguarded.

He was proven right when Tokomi casually dropped down from a nearby tree, her sweet face smiling more for his benefit than for her sister's he assumed. Both warriors exchanged a few words and then Tokomi vanished back into the forest again and the gate swung open. Naomi drove the car between to the unsuspicious grey jeep and the more shiny red sport's car, Bucky had no doubt that he knew which car belonged into Naomi's personal possession. 

"This...this is beautiful," Bucky said in total awe once he was out of the car and turning on the spot, taking in the sight.  
"He'll definitely appreciate that, belonged to his grandfather once. He completely remodeled everything, picked out everything himself, right down to the smallest flower in the backyard." Naomi chuckled and materialized right next to him, pushing his hand away from the backseat door to get his bag herself, "He will kill me if I let you carry that yourself."

"Not kill, but a lesson or two in manners would be adequate," an amused voice spoke up from the direction of the house entrance, accent setting everything in Bucky's veins on fire and he whirled around. T'Challa looked...as impeccably amazing as always, only difference, he was really here now, both of them together in one place again.

"I delivered. I was nice. And this is what I get." Naomi grumbled her way into the house and then she was gone and there was silence between them as they stared at each other. At least until T'Challa pushed himself away from the pillar, smiling brightly.  
"You wanna come over?" He asked and Bucky felt himself moving like in trance until he was standing right in front of T'Challa, "Hi."

"Hi," Bucky said right back as well and then grinned, laughing when T'Challa rolled his eyes over their awkwardness, pulling him into a hug in the next moment.

"Welcome to Wakanda, Bucky."


	2. I'll be your arms, I'll be your steady satellite

"This is incredible," Bucky stated almost stunned as he turned on the spot in the middle of the living room that opened to the kitchen on one end and to the patio on the other. The view was breathtaking, even from inside already, and if his head was going a little crazy with the thought of sunsets and evenings spend alone with T'Challa, no one could surely blame him.

"Thank you," T'Challa threw in from where he was leaning against the couch, his eyes watching Bucky with an attention that would have been uncomfortable if it wasn't so appreciated and welcome. Naomi had disappeared and as mean as it could be seen, he was rather happy about it, he liked the feisty little warrior, the same way he liked Natasha, but just like her Naomi could be a little too much sometimes.

"It's a high compliment coming from someone living in Stark Tower. Wasn't it declared the most fashionable place in New York City?" T'Challa continued and Bucky snorted, pushing a hand through his hair and not missing for a second how the other man followed every single movement with smiling eyes.  
"For all those snobs up in their penthouse suites maybe," Bucky mused and grinned at T'Challa, "But this is real beauty. Warm and comfortable and...you," which honestly, real smooth, Barnes, he grumbled to himself in the privacy of his head.

But it was the truth.

The clean cut, the dark colors of the furniture and accessoires in the light room, the complete lack of superficial status symbols that Tony still couldn't get rid of, everything of it screamed T'Challa.

"Well then, let me show you the room you'll be staying in."

\--

His phone buzzed when Bucky was balancing shirts in one hand and shoes in the other, grunting he pressed accept with his nose and went back to the closet.  
"Hey," Steve's voice filled the room in the next second, "Flight was alright? Arrived well?" Bucky rolled his eyes over the melo-dramatic concern and shoved another pair of shoes into the bottom drawer.

"Yes, Mum, I had flight and I arrived at my end destination, you can stop worrying now," he replied and then smirked over the annoyed Steve gave him in response.  
"Yeah, well, someone has to take care of all of you. Without me around all you guys would eat around here is pizza and ice-cream, and then flush it down with coffee and Scotch." Steve grumbled and Bucky raised an eyebrow at himself in the mirror of the closet when he got up and walked back to his bag on the bed in the guest room.

"What crawled up your ass?" He wanted to know, frowning at the purple hoodie that he had been sure had not been packed by him. Goddammit, Stevie.  
"Sand...Literally, sand, fucking everywhere," and that groaned confession brought Bucky to a stop and he stared at his phone for a moment.  
"What? I'm not even gone a day and you've already been under attack again? Steve, what..." but Steve interrupted him before the knot in Bucky's stomach could really unfold.

"No attack," he explained, sounding way more like himself then, he must have realized how he had come off, "Training exercice. Clint and Natasha were in charge and they of course took it way too serious again." Bucky barely held in the snort, he could already imagine the outcome, "So now I'm taken hostage, stripped down to my boxers and tied up in some godforsaken shag in the middle of some freaking beach in god only knows where."

"Woah, wait a second, why did they strip you down to your boxers?" Bucky scrunched up his nose and set the last clothes into the closet before pushing the doors closed and his bag under the bed.  
"That is the part you're focusing on?" Steve asked in light exasperation and Bucky allowed himself a snort, walking over to the window front to look out over the beautiful city below the cliff T'Challa private recluse was built on.

"Kinda the part I can't understand. Where are Nat and Clint?" He wanted to know, smiling when he caught sight of the white palace buildings.  
"Playing the villain game a little too convincingly. Why were we ever so focused on Tony going all supervillain? Nat and Clint will have us killed in our sleep once they got bored of being Avengers." Fully amused by Steve's grumpiness Bucky moved back to bed and laid down next to his phone.

It was slowly hitting him that this was really happening.

A vacation. Time off from constant vigilance and fighting. No mission debriefs and no assemble alarms.

Instead he got sunshine in paradise. And the chance to be alone with T'Challa, fully alone for the first time ever.

"Talk for yourself, punk. I know when the time comes to jump ship, you'll find me on the right side." He hit back at Steve with a verbal response.  
"Yeah, hiding behind a big black cat." Steve shot back and Bucky stuck his tongue out at the phone, "Listen, Clint is signaling me now my window for one free one call is closing, so have a good time. Don't get too wild and stop running away from your heart."

"Stevie..."

"No, stop running. Stop overthinking everything and just live for once. You have absolutely zero responsibilities right now, just have fun. Be young, okay? God only knows we were never really allowed to do so," a loud thunk had him pause for a moment and Bucky rolled his eyes over Clint's flair of dramatics, "Right. No more meddling, got it. Stop playing Barton against me when you're not even here, you jerk. And call sometimes. Bye, Buck."

"Bye, Steve." He cut the call and then swiped across the display to write a quick message to Natasha before turning off his phone. Friday's overriding authority meant he would still be able to get alerted if an emergency came up, but for now he was going to ignore all of it.

'Take his boxers and let Barton deliver them to Stark. And make a recording, I wanna see that when I come back.'

\--

When he got back into the living room, the sight of T'Challa cutting carrots blew his mind so much that he needed a good minute or two before he made another step.  
"You never told me you could cook," he spoke up, sliding onto a chair at the bar table next to the counter, T'Challa smiled but didn't look away from his vegetables and the knife.  
"Now, where would all the mystery remain if I reveal all my secrets immediately," T'Challa told him and send him a quick smirk, Bucky felt his insides turn liquid.

"So shall I be on my best behavior to expect more surprises?" Bucky inquired and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, T'Challa, finished with cutting, poured the vegetables into the pan on the stove.  
"I guess you'll have to wait and see what happens," T'Challa answered him and turned to the shelf next to the fridge, pulling down a bottle of wine before walking to stand across from where Bucky was sitting.

"I can be patient." Bucky pointed out and T'Challa laughed, holding the bottle out for him and then reaching below the table once Bucky had taken the bottle.  
"I know that, Sergeant Sniper." T'Challa quipped and set the wine glasses down between them, turning away again to pull some plates from the shelf and stir whatever was happening in the pan while Bucky poured them some wine.

"You know, this is a really great start of vacation time. The king cooking for me, I feel special," he grinned between sips, T'Challa chuckled and set the plates on the table.  
"Can't have Rogers coming after me if he hears you're starving," he pointed out and threw a look over his shoulder at Bucky who rolled his eyes at him, but then set his glass down and let his hands carry the weight of his chin.

"You want any help?" He offered, fully knowing that with his talents the kitchen would burn in under five minutes, there was a reason Clint and him weren't allowed in the kitchen alone back at the tower and on the farm.  
"Nah, today you get to rest," T'Challa told him and threw the dishcloth upon one shoulder, Bucky smiled.

He watched T'Challa spin from corner to corner of the kitchen as he cooked, and for once chose to keep his guards and walls completely down. No one around to disturb them, no one around to catch him. There was silence between them, but nothing awkward, just a pleasant hum of quiet, then and now T'Challa would look at him briefly between switching back and forth between stove and the bowls on the counter.

\--

When there was nothing left of dinner, T'Challa send him over into the living room to pick a movie while he titied up in the kitchen. Bucky wandered over with a new bottle of wine in his hands, setting it down on the couch table before taking the shelf with movies and TV show season boxes into close viewing.

He found gold right away.

"Oh my god." He called out and whirled around with a thick grin, at the kitchen counter T'Challa froze like a deer in headlights, dishcloth in one hand, dirty plates in the other, "Oh. My. God."  
"What?" T'Challa wanted to know very carefully, voice dipped low and if he wasn't close to dancing in pure joyful laughter, Bucky would have shuddered in delight. Instead he plucked the multi season box out of the shelf and held them up.

Raising an eyebrow, he waited for a reaction.

T'Challa stared at him for a moment and then smiled, "I guess taking Naomi as the excuse is not the right move." Bucky laughed, taking the box and sitting down on the couch, checking out the backside.  
"I would have bought Tokomi maybe, but choosing Naomi gives you away. This is gold," he chuckled and ducked when the dishcloth came flying his way. Over in the kitchen corner, T'Challa grabbed their glasses and came over as well.

"Everyone has guilty pleasures." He gave as explanation and joined Bucky on the couch, glasses set down on the table in front of them.   
"Of course. And I'm not judging you. I am just...surprised." Bucky admitted and T'Challa snatched the box out of his hands, not even half as ashamed as other people had been when Bucky had caught them sniffling at the season finale of Pretty Little Liars.

"I find enjoyment in this show, it distracts me from wanting to rip the heads off of my advisor's necks if I see other people doing it with great pleasure." T'Challa sounded dead serious for a moment before his lips twitched up and Bucky started laughing, "And what do you have to say with your cheesy little sci-fi novels from four decades ago."  
"Hey, those are great, and they make Tony's eyes twitch, totally worth it." Bucky defended himself and slapped a hand against the thigh right next to his knee.

"Well then, you're lucky, there was a new episode yesterday and Naomi recorded it for me while I was in budget meetings." T'Challa said and reached for the Tv remote while Bucky gaped at him, "What? I told you to pick something from the shelf, you did."  
"Oh my god," Bucky cried out, pulling up his legs and kicking gently at the other man's legs, "You are devious."

T'Challa snorted through his laughter and plopped the box of Blurays down on the table before shifting back into the pillows as the TV came to life. 

Twenty minutes later, to his own personal horror, Bucky found himself engrossed in the plot he didn't really understand because of lack of oversight, and when one of those grumpy characters nearly died, he even gasped and then boxed T'Challa in the rips for the snort he gave in response.  
"You are mean," Bucky groaned and then turned around, pulling out a pillow from behind his butt and throwing it down on T'Challa's thigh before letting his head and follow, "Your breath totally got hitched for a second there, too, Chall. I heard you." He continued to grumble once he was lying down.

T'Challa didn't say anything, but one of his hands settled at the back of Bucky's head and began to stroke through brunet hair. For a second, just a split second, Bucky was beginning to tense, the sensation so unfamiliar, but before his body could respond to the instinctual reaction of his head, it was already melting into the couch and the touch.

And when the episode of the Vampire Diaries was over and T'Challa set the TV onto some movie rerun, Bucky blamed himself drifting off on jetlag. Not on gentle fingers in his hair and steady breaths against his shoulder and comfortable warmth all around him.

And especially not on the low pitched humming that started up when he was already half asleep.

What a truly beautiful first day in Wakanda.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it


	3. Love, you're not alone, cause I'm gonna stand by you

Two days later, Bucky had already been shown the usual sight-seeing program and due to Naomi's and Tokomi's skilled and most of all hidden involvment, they had even been left alone while strolling down streets and back alleys.

And now on the third day, Bucky was in for a special treat.

\--

"You're taking him to the Nekropolis?"

T'Challa sighed and set the coffee down on the kitchen counter again before turning around to look at Naomi sitting down at the bar table, her face colored in confusion. He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"You know for being the king of this country, it's awfully difficult to keep something secret that is clearly private," he told her and narrowed his eyes when she rolled hers.

"The City of the Dead? Seriously?" Naomi pressed on and had the nerve to fetch herself an apple from the fruit bowl, taking a bite. Bloody annoying cousins.   
"Yes, Naomi, we're going to the Nekropolis today." He answered, using the same pitch in his voice that he had first used on her when she had been four years old and found out that 'why' could drive her princely cousin up the damn wall in three seconds flat.

Naomi, scrunching up her face like he had expected she would, stuck her tongue out at him and leaned back in her chair, "Visiting your ancestors' tombs, your father's tomb. Pretty weird place for a first date." Pinching up the bridge of his nose, he took a really deep breath, turning around again to finally get started on the coffee.  
"It's not a date, and can you talk any louder? I think he hasn't heard you yet, shower is still too loud," he grumbled.

"He doesn't speak our language, cousin," Naomi drily reminded him and he could almost picture her raising both eyebrows, "T'Challa...you do still love him, right? All the stuff you told me..."  
Bracing his hands on the counter, he tensed his shoulders for a moment and forcefully breathed out, cursing the night he had been frustrated enough with everything and had ended up spilling his soul to Naomi while they had gotten drunk in the palace gardens.

Or at least he had gotten drunk, Naomi as it later turned out had just pretended.

"Did someone ever tell not to get involved in other people's business?" He asked her and switched on the coffee machine, down the corridor the shower stopped.  
"Well, you're not just anyone." Naomi offered him in return, pushing a stray lock out of her face as he turned around again, eyes narrowed at her, not yet in real anger.  
"Yeah, you're right. I'm your king, and you would be wise to respect that one of these days." He told her and Naomi glared right back at him, hopping off the chair, she stalked around the table until she was standing right in front of him. Throwing the apple remains into the trash, she then pressed a set of sharp fingernails into his chest.

"You're my friend, too. And you should remind yourself to respect that one of these days even more," she hissed up at him, "Yes, I know your big damn secret. And yes, I know you cannot always listen to what your heart is telling you. But you wanna know what I know as well, my king?" She pushed herself up on his toes and for a short second T'Challa was reminded of their childhood, when their age difference had been even more noticeable, Naomi always so much smaller than her peers, "I know what you promised T'Chaka. Promised him as he lay dying, because I was there, I was the one having your back, I was the one who put you back together when he was gone. Be you first, be king second, and never forget to look after your heart. Your people can't be happy if you aren't. His words, T'Challa, do you remember?"

He nodded.

"So don't me tell me I have no respect for my king. Because I'm doing what I promised the man who was my king first. I'm doing exactly what I swore to him I would do for the rest of my life, protect his son and his son's heart. Make sure he stays my friend and not only my king." Naomi snapped up at him, her voice nevertheless colored with fondness, rolling back flat on her feet again, "Don't let him run away, don't run away again yourself."

She took a step back and smoothed a hand through a hair when steps approached the kitchen and then stopped in the open door, "Did I interrupt something?" Bucky asked in still half sleepy English and Naomi smiled, all beaming happiness again, all anger and frustration wiped from her face again, T'Challa didn't manage it as well as her, if the slight furrow of Bucky's brow was any indication.

"Just a small disagreement." He hurried to stop any concerns from growing, smiling at Bucky before turning to lean down to Naomi, switching to his mothertongue when he whispered to her, "I appreciate your worry, and your advice, cousin, but it's still my heart, so let me decide at which pace I take my steps." He softly told her and kissed her cheek, embracing her shortly. Naomi spoke up again when they broke apart, alreading moving to walk away.

"He doesn't know what he is worth, T'Challa, he is too afraid of what it could mean. You have to make the first step, show him what he means to you." She offered him in a last advice before she crossed over to where Bucky was still standing in visible discomfort, something she smoothed away on the edges when she touched his arm and kissed his cheek.

None of them moved until the front door clicked shut again though, only then did T'Challa unfreeze from his position by the kitchen counter and gesture towards the fridge.

"Hungry?"

\--

"Is this strange?" T'Challa asked a couple of hours later when they had both kind of automatically stopped in the entrance of the Nekropolis, suddenly his great idea didn't look that great anymore in sight of the tomb of his ancestors. At his side, Bucky opened his mouth twice and then shut it again before finally finding his words.

"I wouldn't call it...strange. Maybe a little weird. Bringing the guy who you until a year ago suspected to have killed your father to his tomb, can't say that's ever happened to me." He said and then pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket again, the one he was wearing despite the heat and despite the fact that T'Challa had repeatedly told him that no one would care about the arm, or what it had stood for.

He really doesn't know what he is worth to me, his mind provided him with an echo of Naomi's words.

"So, it's not the concept of death that bothers you?" He was a champion of distracting himself from his own thoughts when it got uncomfortable. Bucky gave a quiet snort.  
"Did you really just ask me that? You promised me no kid gloves, T'Challa. I can take it, I'm not going to break at the side of some tombs." He got a little on the defensive and T'Chall cursed himself, what a bloody perfect beginning of this day.

"That wasn't what I meant. I asked because I've seen quite a number of confident men, of warriors refusing to enter, because even though nothing in life scares them, death does. It's not something to be ashamed of. Okoye does not accompany me here, Naomi only went once, and even then it was because I needed her and not because she wanted to be here for my father's funeral." He explained and saw out of the corner of his eyes how Bucky relaxed again, "Death is not something you can come back from, it's..."

"I did. Every time a mission went on too long and the serum started to win out against the programming, Bucky Barnes came back from the dead, and then he died again. Death doesn't scare me anymore, Chall." Quiet words, but a strong voice, and not for the first time T'Challa wondered how he could do it, keep going in light of what had happened, be strong after he had been broken so many times.

It only heightened the feelings that were already burning his veins like a fever.

"It scares me," he confessed, "People usually don't come back from it, it's final. And it doesn't always strike when people are old and had a long life." Bucky shifted and for a second it looked like he wanted to reach out, but his hands staid put.  
"Your generation has a different view on it than mine did. I'm not scared of death because of all the things I did, not because of the death I brought, but because growing up the way I did? You got used to it." Bucky spoke up after a moment of silence, stepping closer, "It was a different time, nowadays you have good medicine and procedures and vaccinations. People don't suffer as much anymore, but when I was a child, things were different."

He continued to talk but began to walk into the City of the Dead, T'Challa followed him and hung onto every word, "I lost my father when I was a teenager, before that I had already lost a sister, to diseases that aren't deathly anymore today. I was there when Sarah Rogers died, I saw her fade away day by day until she didn't even have the strength anymore to wake up. Steve...before the serum he came so close to dying so many times that I lost count. We saw friends die, kids younger than us, getting horribly sick one day and then gone forever the next. I saw soldiers die because there was nothing that could help them, some I put of their misery myself, because we all knew that back on base, the nurses wouldn't be able to do anything to mend their suffering. Death is familiar, T'Challa, and honestly, I'd rather be surrounded by the dead than some of the living folks."

They wandered in silence for a moment, stopped sometimes, but he watched Bucky look around more than he looked himself. It amazed him, to see someone so at ease surrounded by so much history, centuries worth of his family history. Bucky was awed and curious, but not frightened, he asked questions that T'Challa struggled to answer sometimes. Politics, fighting, even dancing and etiquette, everything had been more interesting than history lessons when he had been younger.

At some point he left Bucky to discover alone and made his way to the deepest end of the city – T'Chaka's tomb. 

He stood there for a while, his hand on his father's name and too many thoughts whirling around his head to speak a word out loud. He didn't really see any need to point out what was obvious, his father must have been watching his conflicting emotions for months already from up high, shaking his head in fond exasperation like he had done so many times when he had still been alive and his son had been too stubborn for his own good again.

T'Challa knew what he wanted, he knew that his heart was yearning for one person and one person alone, and that no matter what his advisors were going to say, nothing would change. Not for him. Not after all these months.

He was a king, he knew what his responsibilities to his people were, but doing it alone...it had never felt as lonely and crushing since the moment Bucky had turned up with beer at his quarters in Stark Tower one night.

Careful steps, almost too quiet to be really noticed, stopped at the top of the stairs that let down to this most recent part of the city.  
"You can come down," he called up to Bucky and dragged a hand down his face, Bucky came to stand beside him, close enough that their shoulders were touching. And suddenly, it felt so easy to talk.

"He knew Peggy Carter, you know. He never told me how he met her, let alone on why he kept on having business with her. Now of course I know it was with Shield. I remember one time, he came back from America and he told me 'the Americans have the weirdest way to honor their fallen heroes', and I asked him what he meant. He gave me these comics..." Bucky made a low sound of embarassment while T'Challa smiled, "He told me Director Carter had given them to him for his son to enjoy and practice his English with. He told me they were honoring one of America's greatest heroes and his loyal friend, but then I looked through them and..."

"They were the most tackiest embarassing insulting pages you have ever read in your entire life?" Bucky wanted to know with a smile on his face, blue eyes glancing up at him.  
"Yeah, pretty much. I couldn't understand it, you had saved America, maybe even the whole world, and they honored you with children's comics? Comics that depicted history all wrong? It was difficult to understand. Wakanda is different, our culture is different. And every time I saw these comics again, I thought to myself what would these men think if they could see how people kept their memory today, how angry would they be." T'Challa said and the look on Bucky's face answered it all.

They turned quiet again, both of them watching the chiseled plate in front of them.

T'Challa grew restless first, shifting on his feet and focusing a little too much on the sounds of breathing right next to him to lock out the deafening pressure of silence around them. And after a brief inner debate, he moved his hand and intertwined his fingers with Bucky's. Loose at first, giving him all chance and choice to pull away, but then Bucky leaned against him and T'Challa felt the mountains of relief falling from his shoulders as he curled their hands together tighter, stronger.

This was as good as any verbal confession to his dead father could have ever gone.

This is the man who holds my heart.

And I hope he is starting to realize that too.

"I wasn't ready to lose him when he died. I thought I had still so much time left with him. He had taught me everything he needed, had made sure I was ready to be king long before I needed to, and maybe I was. But I wasn't ready to lose my father." Bucky squeezed his hand and T'Challa felt it easier to breathe.

\--

Right next to him, Bucky could barely remember what breathing felt like, his heart pounding in his chest.

Demanding to be set free, demanding to be set free of the chains.

Asking to just reach out for what was right in front of him.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stuff with Peggy is made up, I just wanted them talking about the comics, something light in the sight of tombs  
> Hope you guys still like it!


	4. Put your armor on the ground tonight (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> getting a little less cheesy for a moment in this chapter, but I'll make it up to you guys

In the evening, after they got gotten back from the Nekropolis, it was silence that hung over the house, because Bucky had turned quiet not fifteen minutes after they had left the City of the Dead. It was his coping mechanism when everything got too much, too wild, too loud, he turned into himself, focused on his own head and let instincts protect him from the outside.

He could feel T'Challa watching him through dinner and then when a movie played in the background that no one paid any attention to. He didn't approach Bucky though, let him think in peace and Bucky was eternally grateful for it, it showed only more just how amazing T'Challa really was.

That night he was unable to sleep though, he couldn't stop thinking about how good T'Challa's hand had felt in his, how strong he had suddenly felt again. How difficult it had been to let go again, how much he wanted to reach for him again now.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't because they were friends, just friends. Just friends who had comforted each other, just a friend reaching for the strength of a friend in front of his father's grave. That was normal, that was what people did.

So friends. They could never be more than friends, so why as it so hard to come to terms with that.

Because, his brain provided him in a voice that sounded a little bit too much like Natasha, you have never loved a person like you love T'Challa. No one ever managed to get under your skin like he did with just one evening spend laughing over each other's stories. No one ever touched your heart like this. No one looked at him the way T'Challa did, and that was what Bucky couldn't understand.

He could have everyone. Bucky had seen the members of the Dore Milaje, T'Challa could have the most beautiful women in the world at his side, make them his queen, but still, he looked at Bucky as if he was even more precious than any of them. A look Bucky didn't deserve, a look he wasn't worth of. Not after everything he had done.

Snatching his phone from the nightstand, Bucky snuck out of the house and onto the patio before he felt like the walls were closing in on him even more. He needed to talk to someone. He needed to hear from someone what he couldn't tell himself and he already knew whom to call.

\--

He pressed speed dial number three on his phone when he was sitting out by the pool, knees drawn to his chest, staring down at the reflection of the moon in the water.  
"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" was the greeting he got met with, "Isn't it like...two in the morning in Wakanda? You've been out all night partying, buddy?"  
"Sam..." and more Bucky couldn't choke out, it needed to be enough when it came to cries for help, and of course it was.

"Okay, I'm here, no more joking. What's wrong? What has happened, talk to me, Bucky." Sam switched off playful qquickly and Bucky could hear him sitting down somewhere, he hoped alone in his kitchen or his living room. Just please alone.  
"Do you really have time?" He asked nevertheless and his answer was an annoyed groan, "Okay, okay...He held my hand. He grabbed and held my hand when we were standing in front of his father's grave today."

"Okay, I'm gonna ignore the second half of that for now, but...Congratulations? Or not? Buck, are you alright?" Sam wanted to know and Bucky breathed out loudly once, he was already surprised on how good it felt to hear his friend's voice and how it already helped in settle the chaos in his head. And he also noted that it had been the right decision to call Sam, Steve would have just flipped again.

"No," he replied honestly, dipping a foot into the water curiously and then letting the other one follow when it wasn't as cold as he had thought it to be.  
"You're not okay because he held your hand? Or because he held your hand in a tomb? Come on, I know it's not easy, but talk to me," Sam pleaded and Bucky reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Talking was in fact not his favourite thing, it had gotten easier but he still preferred to let actions speak and not his lips.

"I don't care about the tomb. He held my hand, Sam, and he is...kind, and just...it feels so difficult to not reach out for him constantly. I feel so safe around him, he makes everything easier and so much more difficult at the same time. I thought I had it under control." Once he got started, it was suddenly so easy to go on, "I really thought I could let those feelings be hidden. Come here as his friend, enjoy my time without fucking anything up. But here I am, freaking out over so much as stupid hand-holding. Why is this too much to handle?"

"Because you're in love." Sam brought it right to the point and Bucky could only barely fight down the urge to cover his ears and start humming this time, "And I see you've finally stepped past the infantile reaction of lalala," came the dry response to his silence this time. Bucky groaned and let himself fall back on his back, feet still hanging in the water of the pool, "I still don't understand what the problem here is. You like him, he obviously likes you back. You need me to explain to you how kissing works?"

"He is a king, Sam."

"And you're an Avenger, I still don't follow," Sam said and Bucky whined, slapping a hand over his eyes, setting the phone on speaker and down on the ground next to his head.  
"What does a king need?" He asked and Sam made a confused sound, Bucky wondered if he was this slow because of the time or because his day had sucked.  
"A castle?" Sam questioned right back and Bucky could picture him with his eyebrows scrunched up, staring completely befuddled into thin air, it made him smile, despite the dilemma in his head.

"A queen, you nimwit. A king needs a queen and an heir, he needs to keep his people's best interests at heart all the time." He listed down and stared up at the stars.  
"Dude, you've been watching way too many Disney movies with Lila on your last trip to the farm. You're not a Disney princess, Bucky, gotta have to disappoint you there." Sam argued and Bucky turned his head to glare at his phone.

"Thanks for that, pal, very much aware of that."

"Listen, Bucky, T'Challa is a smart man, he doesn't just do things and then try and justify them later. He thinks before he acts, because just like you said he has a kingdom and a country he is responsible for. But he is also a man who is allowed to have feelings, just like you. You both have a kind heart, and they're quite obviously beating for each other, so is it so hard to accept that?" Sam pressed carefully and Bucky was silent for a moment.

"I'm not good enough for him..." he started quietly up again but Sam cut between his words immediately.  
"Oh, don't start up with that bullshit again, or I'm getting Steve down here right now, and probably Natasha and Clint as well, or why don't I just call Laura Barton right away. She seems to be the only person you listen to lately. You are good, Bucky, you deserve a shot at happiness and you deserve to be in love and enjoy this feeling." Sam had gotten a bit louder and visibly reigned himself in at the end again, "And no one says you have to marry that guy by the end of the week. Trust me, I've already had enough of weddings before we even got one super-soldier married of."

"But why try? Why hope for something to begin with when we're better off being friends in the end? Being friends would ultimately be better for both of us. He can marry a woman, give his people a queen and new heir, and I..." and once again Sam took over for him.  
"Can spend the rest of my life in misery because even two years later I still don't think I deserve even a second of happiness without feeling guilty for it." Sam put into words what Bucky would have never spoken out loud.

"Well...yeah."

"Listen, Bucky, I'm not going to push. You have to make your own choices in this, I'll have your back whatever it will be, and so will everyone else, you know that. But maybe don't give up until you are really sure on what T'Challa wants from this, don't make choices for him." Sam told him and Bucky sighed, dragging a hand down his face.  
"I would never do that, you know that." He said so quietly it was barely more than a whisper.

"Then just stop overthinking everything for now. Just maybe relax and let things happen. Sit back and watch what comes next, I know it's fucking difficult to let go of the controls, but Bucky, it can be damn worth it." Sam explained and Bucky bit his lips, "I'm right, ain't I? You're having fun, he makes you happy."

"Yes. Yes, he does." Bucky agreed and smiled, "He really makes me happy."  
"Then focus on that, and nothing else. Let him be the judge of what is good for him. I don't think T'Challa lets just everyone as close as you got, he knows what he is doing, Bucky. And if you don't then maybe trust him to take you along."

"Thank you, Sam," Bucky replied after another moment of silence, and Sam hummed, "I think I'm gonna go and try to sleep now, but thank you for listening and..."  
"Always, Bucky, always. Sleep tight, okay? It's gonna be okay, however it will play out, you're gonna be okay." Sam finished and then Bucky said goodnight as well and cut the call.

He climbed back to his feet and went back inside, sneaking quietly back into the guest room and slipped into the bed again. He trusted T'Challa, and maybe Sam was right, maybe he should just wait to see what would happen next. And even if it was only friendship in the end, it would still be a thousand times better than not having him in his life at all.

Bucky was asleep not long after closing his eyes, shoulders feeling lighter, his heart feeling warmer again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 will come later today already


	5. Put your armor on the ground tonight (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of the following conversation goes against comic canon, please forgive me, I don't know anything and just went with gut feeling for this story.  
> In the future, I will hopefully somehow get my hands on Black Panther comics to write more accurate stories. I fell in love with T'Challa from the little we've seen so far and I can't wait to see more of him.
> 
> But until then, have the night of serious talks from T'Challa's POV

Unbeknownst to Bucky, T'Challa had been awake himself, unable to close his eyes for even a minute while his head went wild. There was a struggle inside of him, more than one really. And as he laid in his bed now in the darkness his bedroom provided, and then again didn't, because his eyes were wide awake and the darkness still in sharp contrast, the voices in his head became the loudest.

Sometimes he hated it, the skills, the whole biology behind his gift, the inability to lose himself in a dark room, to let darkness soothe the worries away because it was a shelter, an impenetrable blanket of comfort. If you couldn't see reality anymore, it was easy to forget for just one night just what it all meant, forget for just some hours who you were.

In the darkness you were no one. Just another shadow.

Unless shadows didn't exist for you. Because in the night you sometimes saw even better than in the day.

He sighed, dragged both hands down his face and then got up, what was the use of turning around and tossing covers up and down if you couldn't find sleep after all. On bare feet he walked quietly through the house, the last thing he wanted now was to wake Bucky, he needed his sleep. T'Challa hadn't been blind, he had seen that something had been tormenting Bucky since the moment they had gotten back from the Nekropolis, he had seen how he had turned into himself again.

But no matter how much it hurt, he also knew that sometimes people needed a chance to think.

Alone.

And thinking he needed right now, too, and that he could do best when he was outside. And talking to someone.

\--

Tokomi jumped down from the boundary wall ten minutes after he had leaned against the palm tree to watch the clear moon lit night sky. He was glad she had given him a moment to collect his thoughts before offering a listening ear, he knew her sister would have knocked his head right into the tree trunk and demanded the reason for his scowling. As it was she stopped right on his left side and he rolled his head to the side, looking down at her patient unjudging face, waiting for him to speak first.

What had his father always said? 

Look out for the silent ones. 

Naomi had always been loud and wild, as a child you had heard her coming long before you had seen her. Tokomi had been the quiet one, scaring all wits out of you with her soundless appearances, always polite and kind, respectful to the last cell in her body, never making any kind of trouble. Probably the reason why she had been his father's favourite in the palace. Sweet little Tokomi allowed to stay with the king during council meetings while his son could deal with his duties and rambunctious Naomi at the same time.

He would never underestimate one of them though. They had been through the same training as him, even more, and maybe they didn't have the same genetics in their blood than he had, but they had a ruthlessness in them that he couldn't grasp within himself. And despite how different the sisters were, in a fight they were each other's shadows.

"I'm stupid, ain't I?" He started and thumbed his head back against the tree, Tokomi smiled, poking him in the stomach once.  
"It's called being in love, Chall, it's known to make one a little stupid," she pointed out, shifting to lean against him, "But not you. Even as hopelessly gone as you are for Bucky, you're still always thinking about what it'll be mean for you. For Wakanda."

"My people need an heir." He spoke out and looked up into the sky again, the voices of his advisors, of the council echoing in his head again. Think of your bloodline. Think about the future. Think of the future of your legacy.   
"Your people need a king who doesn't let the man he loves get away so he can lose himself in a loveless marriage whose only purpose is to produce a boy to be the next king." Tokomi had another amazing gift, her right to the point honesty had the tendency to get right under your skin, while Naomi's inability to keep her opinion to herself just riled you up most of the time.

T'Challa sighed but Tokomi's hand snapped out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look down at her, "No, no, you are not going to go all gloomy on me tonight. You need to talk about this. Out loud. I know our history just as well as you do, probably even better. I know what tradition dictates, I know what our culture holds dear and holy. But times change, we evolve, and sometimes we have to adept the way we follow our traditions." She talked and took a step back, letting go of him in the process, but T'Challa still kept his eyes on her.

"Aren't we supposed to be the most modern country in the world? Most advanced technologies and medicine? Leading women and men in every field science has to offer? Decades ahead of other supernations when it comes to equality and morality?" Tokomi threw at his head without ever raising her voice over the soft level that was all her.  
"We are also the most isolated country in the entire world." T'Challa gave as a reply and Tokomi nodded.

"Your father meant to protect the world from the dangers of the vibranium, and he was right to do so. He closed our borders to make sure the power-hungry nations of this world wouldn't come and leek us dry. But this is no longer the past, this is no longer two fronts riling each other up with arms races, the world changed. And maybe we should, too." Tokomi waited when she was done, and T'Challa dragged a hand down his face.  
"Integrating us into the world again and changing our most sacred traditions are two completely different things." He told her and then raised his hands quickly when Tokomi's eyes flashed and she growled, "Woah, hey, easy."

"Why are you so goddamn insistent on not letting yourself be happy?" She snarled at him and pushed both hands against his chest, T'Challa kept his hands raised.  
"I am happy," he defended himself verbally, but Tokomi shoved at him again, clearly angry and god he was in trouble now.

"No, you're not." 

Tokomi jumped back just in time for him to whirl to the right, coming face to face with the tall woman who had soundlessly approached from the path leading to the backyard.

"Good evening, my king."

"Okoye, what are you doing here?" He wanted to know in complete surprise, while she calmly looked him up and down, before adressing Tokomi who was standing behind him.  
"Can you go and keep an eye on Barnes? He's out sitting by the pool and seems down." Tokomi nodded and vanished into the darkness, T'Challa made a move to go to, head suddenly rushing with the thought of not having realized that Bucky was up, too.

Awake, out of bed, all alone. And clearly shaken.

But Okoye wrapped a hand around his wrist and kept him put, "No," she said when he made to protest, "You're staying here. We need to talk."  
"I won't have him..." but all he got was a shaking head and Okoye leading him over to the bench next to the front door. She pushed him down to sit but kept standing herself, making it really easy for her to tower over him.

"He is on the phone with someone who sounds like a friend, he'll be okay. I'm more concerned about you right now." Okoye stated and T'Challa felt his eyebrows rise up.  
"Me? What is there to be concerned about? I'm fine. Listen, Okoye, I don't know what Naomi told you but I'm okay. I'm dealing with this in..." but he was interrupted and that seemed to be the theme right now.

"You're not dealing with anything." Okoye told him, making her voice just that tad bit sharper, showing him exactly why he had made her captain, "You are a razor thin edge away from a breakdown, you've put your emotions to the side for so long, and now where your heart is pushing back for once, you don't know what to do...How long have we been friends, T'Challa?"  
"An eternity." He sighed and dropped his face down into his hands, pinching his eyes shut, trying to fight down his instincts that were calling for him to see Bucky, see him right now and make sure he was okay.

"Yes, an eternity. I know that no one knows you better than Naomi, but that doesn't mean I can't see what has been going on inside your head. You're fighting a war with yourself over what you think you need to do and what you want to do." Okoye told him and T'Challa let his hands fall flat upon his thighs, snapping his head up.

"My country needs an heir. A king needs an heir."

"Yes, a king needs an heir." Okoye stated way more quietly than he did, but it was way more important what came next, "But he doesn't need a queen."  
"You tell that to the council," he grumbled and Okoye grew silent suddenly, T'Challa froze and narrowed his eyes at her, "No. No, no, no."  
"I did not tell them that our king's has fallen hopelessly in love with an outsider who was once suspected to have killed his father, calm down." Okoye took the wind out of the rising panic in him, "I did not out you to them. But their incessive and honestly downright creepy investment in your private life needed to stop, they are going too far. Even your father had more freedom than this." 

"What did you do?" T'Challa wanted to know and pushed both hands through his hair, "Oh god, what did you do?"  
"Might have frightened them a little, little old men needed a little reality check and a reminder for what the Dora Milaje is really here for. To protect the king, even from too influence greedy advisors. I also told them that none of my warriors is going to marry the king unless Naomi can assure me that the love is real. On both sides." Okoye explained and T'Challa groaned, "Relax, they're gonna be miffed for a couple of days but they'll get over it."

"Great...Okay, you know what." He then called out and got to his feet, starting to pace up and down the path between porch and driveway, "Let's...just for a second...go with your thought. Fine, alright, a king doesn't need a queen to rule, that still leaves me without an heir. A kingdom stands and falls with the next generation," he repeated the line his teachers had drilled into him from childhood on.

"You seriously want me to count down the different ways to get a child these days? Especially in our country?" Okoye played along, little bit of amusement coloring her voice, for which T'Challa stopped for a second and pointed a finger her way.  
"Oh yeah, adopting, what a brilliant idea. Shall we let my darling brother weigh in on that option, granted of course we find Hunter and his merry little band of criminals first. Wakanda won't accept a prince who is not of their blood," he bit out.

"Okay, let's scratch that thought then. Leaves us with still several options to have a biological child as a gay couple. Are you living in the same world that I am? Do you listen to the scientists when you visit the hospitals and the research facilities or do you just smile and look all majestic?" While he started his pacing up again, Okoye sat down on the bench he had abandoned.

He grumbled to himself for a while, head assaulting him with thoughts left and right and he was glad his oldest friend gave him the chance to sort through them. It had been a process he had started up again and again only to chicken out before making a decision. But maybe tonight it was the right time to finally push through the dusty chains of traditions and think with more than just his head, maybe it was time to let his heart do some judging as well.

All he knew for sure was that today, standing in front of his father's grave, with Bucky's hand in his and him so close at his side, he had felt more powerful than ever before. Bucky gave him strength he didn't know he could possess. Bucky lit a fire within him that he knew he could use in fighting a war against the council if it came to it.

And he would. He would fight. He would argue and fight to convince them of Bucky's worth.

He would fight to protect this love.

He would fight for this love.

He stopped and grew completely still, over on the bench, Okoye looked at him, "I love him," he said the words out loud that until now he had only drunkenly admitted to Naomi, "He can make me happy...he makes me happy."

When he turned to look over at Okoye, she was smiling, "Listen, T'Challa. No one is telling you to grab that man's hand and drag him in front of the council to declare your undying love for him and present him as your future husband. Even kings are allowed to have private lives. Kings are allowed to fall in love. All I want is for you to give this a try, don't eat yourself up any longer. I'll keep the council off your back, I promise. Just let yourself be a man for once, and not the Black Panther. Not the king of Wakanda. Be T'Challa and listen to your heart."

"You think this can end in something good?" He asked her and Okoye got back to her feet, crossing over to him and placing a friendly hand on his shoulder.  
"I am very much convinced this could turn into the best thing that has ever happened to you." She said and meant it with every fibre of her being, he could see it.

\--

Okoye left and Tokomi took up her guard position again, and T'Challa spent a little more time wandering around the courtyard until his head was really settled with this decision. It had been easier in the end that he had feared all these months, to give his heart a chance, to be selfish for once, to think of himself for once and not only about his people.

"Don't forget who you are," he said and looked up into the sky, "I fear I was beginning to, Dad, I'm sorry. I let them all get into my head, find a queen, get an heir, secure the line. You married for love, you made sure I would be able to do so one day as well, and here I am, nearly ready to throw it all into the dirt if Bucky hadn't come along. He saved me."

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. 

"Be yourself first, be king second. I understand now, father. God, I really get it now. I'll make you proud, I promise you, no more stubborness when it comes to my own heart."

He went inside again then and passed through the house to the patio, only to find it dark and empty, the garden deserted as well. So he changed course and quietly walked down the corridor until he reached the guest room whose door was open as always, Bucky still couldn't sleep with no direct exit routes at hand.

He found him asleep though. 

Deeply asleep in the middle of the bed, lying on his back with the sheets already kicked half off. He was the sight of pure relaxed peace and T'Challa felt his heart beat calmer again, knowing that whatever had rested heavily on Bucky's shoulders had been taken off just like the war inside T'Challa's own head.

He leaned against the doorframe and watched for a moment how Bucky's chest rose steadily in his sleep, no twitching in his limbs, no sign of unease anywhere.

Tonight, he would stop the constant questioning of his own feelings and stopping himself from being truly happy.

And tomorrow, he told himself, tomorrow he would start showing Bucky what he really felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And tomorrow, we get cheesy again, I promise. 
> 
> What did the Russo brothers say? There might be a kiss in Civil War?  
> Well, I'm gonna say: there will be a kiss in the next chapter.  
> And it will certainly not be between two straight people.


	6. The room's hush hush, and now's our moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They held hands, they had some doubt, now it's time for the next step...or maybe even two

The days moved on without a hitch the following morning, quite contrary to what both of them expected in awkwardness, they slipped right back into the comfortable trust that signaled maybe a little more than friendship. Bucky noted that T'Challa seemed to have doubled the amount of casual touches.

He surely did not complain, just went with it. Leaning into T'Challa in the mornings before the coffee snapped his head into waking up. Welcoming a steady hand on his arm when they were outside and the curious eyes of the people watching them became just a bit too much. Falling asleep to a movie running in the background and T'Challa's fingers in his hair. Getting lost in brown eyes and gentle smiles. Losing all train of thought when T'Challa was laughing.

And by the time Naomi spooked Bucky in the bathroom on the morning four days after his sleepless night and he went after her with his toothbrush, things were completely and entirely back to how they had been before. T'Challa laughed first but then helped hold a screeching Naomi down while Bucky braided her hair around the strings of her top before they dumped the whole package of flour down her pants.

Tokomi chased them out of the house and off to their planned trip before Naomi was done screaming. T'Challa spent the entire drive up into the mountains laughing so much that Bucky was glad he wasn't the one behind the steering wheel, for he couldn't keep his eyes off of that beautiful happy face right next to him.

"You do realize we'll have to check the house for booby traps when we get back, right?"

"I've been living under one roof with Natasha Romanov long enough already to have perfected that particular skill."

\--

After spending the day hiking through the forest covered mountains, they chose to keep it simple for the evening and while T'Challa argued with Naomi over the phone for the bucket of ice water over his bedroom door, Bucky wandered out on the patio and turned his face into the setting sun for a moment. He wasn't exhausted, just pleasantly stretched and warm.

He walked down into the soft grass and over to the edge between the palm trees where he was able to look down at the city, a sea of green, white, grey and sandy red below him. The palace a rock in the wide ocean of busy city life, nestled in the middle of the central park, the setting sun threw orange flames of light over the white dome-shaped roof.

It was one of the most beautiful sights Bucky had ever seen.

Like the view from Ma's favourite window spot in the evening, when the sun set down over the Manhattan Bay and the ocean turned golden...

"Now, where did your head get lost in?"

A warm hand at the back of his neck drew Bucky out of his thoughts again and he glanced to his right. T'Challa was right there, changed into a light blue shirt, smiling at him, his eyes glowing orange in the light of the sun, "Hey, you with me?"  
"Yeah, I'm here," Bucky responded after a short delay, but it had been long enough to catch the other man's attention. For T'Challa stroked his hand down from Bucky's neck to his right elbow and gently pulled him over to the rock that had been chiseled into a bench.

"You don't look here." T'Challa said and smoothed down his hand from Bucky's elbow to his hand, curling their fingers together again, just like a few days ago when they had been looking down at his father's grave. Bucky looked from their intertwined hands up into T'Challa's concerned face again.  
"I remembered something. A sunset I watched with my mother in Brooklyn when I was a child." Bucky explained quietly, watching how something soft and undeniably fond crossed over T'Challa's face before he looked out over his palace and the city around it, Bucky though kept staring at him.

"You wanna go and write it down?"

"No." Bucky whispered almost, shifting closer until they were sitting thigh to thigh and then laid his head down on T'Challa's shoulder, turning his eyes back upon the sunset as well, "I think I'll stay right here, there is still gonna be time to write things down tomorrow. No more running for me, don't have to be afraid anymore to lose it all," and in response T'Challa squeezed his hand and leaned his head against Bucky's.

They watched the sunset in silence, just the two of them, as close as never before and no one able to interrupt them. No eyes, no ears on them. And the world could have disappeared around them, neither of them would have noticed.

As the last inch of light vanished behind the horizon, T'Challa twitched, some involuntarily muscle reaction that Bucky sometimes forgot existed for basically everyone who hadn't been a sniper for longer than three years. He pulled back and straightened up again, watching how T'Challa stretched out his legs and rolled his neck and shoulders.

"Sorry," he apologized but Bucky smiled it away, already missing the weight of the other one's fingers wrapped around his, and at the same time chastising himself for the thought. He was his friend. Just his...And the disappointment still burned hot. A hand cupping the side of his face let him get aware that his eyes had fallen shut, hands twisted on his thighs, his breath stuck in his chest for a short second.

Blue eyes found brown ones looking right back at him, so close, T'Challa had pulled one leg up and turned to his side, one hand reached out to cradle Bucky's face in it, a touch Bucky found himself leaning into despite the twisting knot in his stomach.  
"I'm very happy you came, you know. And it means very much to me that you like it here," T'Challa told him, sincere and honest, and Bucky felt his heart speed up. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other, only a couple of inches between their faces, and then T'Challa leaned in.

Bucky found himself on his feet and six feet away with his back pressed against a palm tree before he could even blink, heart racing in his chest, gasping through a series of breaths as he stared at a gobsmacked T'Challa. 

Then the panic set in.

He had fucked it up, he had fucked up the one good thing that could have happened to him. Just because he couldn't keep his fucking screwed up instincts in check for one fucking second. 

"Bucky?" The careful voice that called out his name had him snap his eyes open again, finding himself on his knees in the grass, his back still pressed against the tree and T'Challa crouched three feet in front of him, "You're safe. You're safe here, you're safe with me."  
"I'm sorry," Bucky choked out, but T'Challa immediately shook his head and interrupted the potential onslaught of excuses.

"No, there is nothing to be sorry about. I shouldn't have...I should have asked first, and now I ruined a perfectly good moment." T'Challa apologized and the guilt on his face, it nearly ripped Bucky in two, because of course he knew what would have followed if he hadn't zapped away like a spooked Bambi. 

A kiss.

T'Challa would have kissed him.

Him.

Reaching out a shaking hand, he wordlessly pleaded the other man to come closer, and T'Challa did. He knelt down as well, his legs falling open so that he could bracket Bucky's knees between his, taking his trembling hands into steady and always so warm ones. Holding tight, grounding him.  
"I'm here, you're safe," he repeated his words and Bucky could feel his heart being conflicted between slowing down finally and really kicking off, "What happened? What did I do wrong?"

Nothing, Bucky wanted to yell. Nothing because you're perfect. You're good and kind and perfect, and amazing, and I could never deserve you. I could never be good enough for you.

What came blurted out instead was, "It's been seventy-two years." T'Challa blinked twice, but then realization bloomed on his face and the hold on Bucky's hands got stronger, "And the very last one?" Bucky gave a short unfunny chuckle, "We were drinking on base, day before we flew out to Austria to hijack Zola's train. Everyone but Steve and me were drunk, but I was pretending to be as well, to not draw attention. We played stupid drinking games. Howard Stark had to kiss me."

"And that was the last time?" T'Challa asked softly and Bucky nodded, he couldn't put images to it, but he knew the memory was right, he knew it had happened like this. His therapists had made a point to find out if the abuse he had been under from Hydra had in any way turned in that direction as well, but Bucky had put a lid on that before it could have even started. He had been a weapon, he hadn't been seen as a human being, let alone something to be desired or wanted.

"The last time someone kissed me, the last time someone even looked at me and saw me as something to be wanted like this," he told the truth, saw how T'Challa understood, and then his voice fell into a quiet whisper, "until you."

"Buck..."

"I want this. God, you have no idea how much I want this," apparently emotional breakdowns still loosened his tongue, "But you're...and I..." And then, before he could have even muttered another word, strong hands were cradling his face and warm lips were pressing against his own.

T'Challa was kissing him.

He was kissing him.

It took an embarassingly long moment until Bucky's brain unfroze long enough to let muscle memory catch up with him. A small breathy whimper fell from his lips but got quickly swallowed by T'Challa as his hands reached up, one curling around the back of T'Challa's head, the other one clutching at a strong shoulder.

And Bucky kissed back.

Everything stopped, washed into white noise, only T'Challa counted. Lips moving against each other, fingers slipping into hair and pulling the other one even closer. 

This was what flying had to feel like.

When they pulled apart again, Bucky was left breathless, forehead falling to rest on T'Challa's shoulder while his arms slipped around the other man's waist, trying to ground his swaying head back to the earth. T'Challa was chuckling softly, turning his head to press featherlight kisses to the side of Bucky's neck.

"So, how do I hold up against Howard Stark?" He asked quietly but with enough mirth in it that Bucky groaned, digging fingernails into the back under his right hand.  
"You're an asshole," he muttered and T'Challa threw his head back and started laughing, prompting Bucky to straighten up again enough so that he could pull the other man into another kiss.

This time it was already sweeter, no more awkwardness, just two puzzle pieces falling into place.

\--

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Bucky was trying to not sound as insecure as he suddenly felt, which was ridiculous, two grown adult men who obviously liked each other, who were friends, should easily be able to share a bed without making a big fuss over it. They had changed into something more comfortable and now Bucky was standing like an idiot in the open doorway of T'Challa's bedroom.

It was so stupid. 

Just because it had been more than seven decades shouldn't make him this nervous.

"Do you trust me?" T'Challa was still standing patiently at the foot of his bed, holding out a hand now after his question. Bucky was barely able to focus on his face, the loose fitting pants and especially the sleeveless shirt did distracting things to his head.  
"Of course," he answered with great delay and T'Challa smiled, wriggling his fingers in a begging motion.

"Then come here."

Bucky moved, tried to shake off the hesitance as he grabbed T'Challa's hand and let himself be pulled towards the slightly taller man. Arms got wrapped around his waist and Bucky breathed out the tension in his muscles, melted into the embrace and traced a hand down the bared left arm of T'Challa who smiled at him.

"Just you and me and one bed, okay?" He said and Bucky nodded, and then it was him who leaned in and kissed soft warm lips. T'Challa moved his hands over his back, soothing, comforting, it slowly made Bucky stop overthinking everything.

They moved onto the bed then, and Bucky sighed when his body relaxed into the soft silk, through suddenly so heavy feeling half lidded eyes, he looked up at the man propped up on his side and leaning half over him. One hand gently traced the lines of his face.  
"See, there is no reason to be nervous." T'Challa spoke quietly, leaning further down to brush a kiss against the top of Bucky's nose, "It's just you and me."

"Finally," Bucky added and they both grinned, "I can already hear Sam's comments," Bucky chuckled and moved one hand to rest it upon T'Challa's ribcage, feeling the steady thuds of his heartbeat.  
"There is no shame in needing time to figure things out." T'Challa pointed out and Bucky huffed, as if he didn't know that, "And at least we didn't need to lead a war against each other to realize what we're feeling for the other one."

"You chased me through several countries, hunted me down, scratched me, you pulled me from a motorcycle." Bucky protested and T'Challa scoffed at him, all playful and not ill meant, his hand slipping down to stroke over Bucky's neck, prompting blue eyes to fall shut in delight over the touch.  
"A misunderstanding," T'Challa defended himself, dipping his head down until their foreheads touched, "One I do not regret, for it let me to meet you and come to see how good and amazing you really are."

Bucky didn't blush, but it was very close. Still, he needed to keep his head together for one more moment, opening his eyes again, he looked up at burning brown ones above him, "Chall, I'm not the best sleeper. You know about my nightmares and...I'm not often sleeping through the night and I'll wake you..."

"This is my choice, Buck. I want you here, nightmares and anxiety attacks included," T'Challa made clear, and then rolled around to switch off the light, throwing the room into darkness. Bucky felt his senses sharpen without real intent, his ears picking up every sound as the man next to him shifted around to grab the blanket at the foot of the bed, his body relaxed but highly aware of every single dip of the mattress beneath him.

"I'm here, you're safe."

Figured that T'Challa became aware of the nerves flaring up inside of him immediately, a warm body laid down next to him, stretched out along the length of the bed, one arm propped up behind the head, and Bucky took the silent offer greedily. Turning onto his side, he tugged himself against T'Challa's side, breathing out when the other man pulled the covers over them.

"It's unfair, you know," he mused, nuzzling lazily at T'Challa exposed collarbone when the other man moved and wrapped his arm around him, caging him into a secure warm hold that wiped all tension from Bucky's body, "I know you can see fabulously still, and I'm left staring at shadows." A chuckle rumbled through the chest beneath his arm and escaped the lips that were pressing kisses into his hair.

"Then let me watch over you in the night. Close your eyes, Bucky. I'll keep you safe." It was easy to follow that wish, easier than Bucky had expected, but he trusted T'Challa, so he let his guards fall away entirely. Eyes falling shut, he smiled when a hand tipped up his chin, lips claiming his not a second later.

It all felt only more magical, with the darkness protecting them, with him wrapped up in strong arms that would and had protected him. From Hydra. From the government. And from himself. Legs tangled around each other after a moment. Warm hands slipped under his shirt, resting on the small of his back, and in return Bucky wrapped his left arm around T'Challa's chest, laying his head right over his heart.

It lulled him softly to sleep.

\--

It was T'Challa who woke up in the middle of the night, brown eyes blinking open and falling right upon the peacefully sleeping face right next to his. Face half buried in the pillow, Bucky was completely dead to the world, his breaths deep and steady, his eyes moving slightly behind closed lids, his lips almost pulled into a smile. Whatever he was dreaming about, it was good.

He didn't need to look down to know that the metal arm was still wrapped around his chest, fingers twisted around the fabric at his waist, he could feel the grounding weight. From the windows, through the small gap between the curtains, a stream of moonlight fell into the room and illuminated the soft features of Bucky's sleeping face.

T'Challa could feel his fingers twitch to reach out and gently trace cheekbone, jaw and earlobe, but he held himself back, didn't want to risk waking Bucky up. Instead he carefully turned on his side, hooked a leg around the back of Bucky's left one and wrapped an arm around the other man's waist. Bucky snuffled in his sleep, scrunched up his nose twice but relaxed quickly again when T'Challa brushed his lips against his forehead in a soothing kiss.

And with Bucky shifting his head against his throat, T'Challa let himself fall asleep again. Everything he wanted, he had it right there in his arms.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you keep on liking it!  
> Any headcannons? Any cute ideas?   
> You can find me on tumblr under strike-team-alpha


	7. Can I hold you real close?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but I really wanted to post something today and at the same time I was so tired from work. So I apologize, it'll get better again, I promise.

In the morning, Bucky woke to soft voices speaking in Wakanda's native tongue, one right next to him, the other one somewhere in the direction of the door. Still, he smiled to himself, squished into the soft pillow as his face was, turned out it hadn't been a dream at all. They were no longer tangled up together, Bucky had turned to sleep on his stomach, but his arm was wrapped around a moving and slightly vibrating chest.

As he got more aware of his surroundings, he recognized the second voice as Tokomi and at the same time realized that he was lying on T'Challa's arm, the hand at the end of it gently caressing the back of Bucky's head. He sounded relaxed, as did Tokomi, so Bucky saw no need to really be awake just yet, even though there was no doubt that T'Challa hadn't noticed it by now.

Tokomi left with a snort, and Bucky dared to open an eye when her steps faded out in the main corridor, "What did she want?" he mumbled, shifting forward to press his face against the exposed shoulder right in front of him.   
"Annoying me, it's set into their DNA by now," T'Challa grumbled and rolled onto his side, bringing himself face to face with Bucky, "Good Morning."

"Good Morning." Bucky responded and welcomed the kiss that T'Challa offered him. Turning on his back, he grinned against soft lips when T'Challa growled and chased after him, propping his elbows up left and right of Bucky's head. They lost themselves in each other for a long time until at last Bucky's stomach rumbled loud enough to have T'Challa snicker against his neck.

"That my cue to feed my super-soldier?" He wanted to know and Bucky blinked up at him, smiling in such bone deep happiness that it almost felt like flying again.  
"Yours?" He asked right back and T'Challa grinned, pushing himself up until their noses were touching, eyes burning into each other.  
"Mine." T'Challa repeated the declaration and Bucky knew, he really knew that nothing had ever felt this good.

He drifted off again for a while after T'Challa had vanished into the bathroom and when he woke again it was to the smell of coffee drifting over into the bedroom. He dragged himself into the bathroom and hurried through a shower, already much more awake when he towled his hair dry. Hesitating for a moment, he danced his fingers over the blue shirt T'Challa had left hanging over the heater last night, but then he smirked and grabbed it.

If only to see his face.

The first thing he caught sight of in the kitchen was Naomi's bare feet dangling in the air where she was sitting on the edge of the barstool at the high table, gesturing with a mango piece in her hand.  
"You got a leash on you that I can't see?" He spoke up once he was in the room, Naomi turned around and at the stove T'Challa laughed.  
"Morning to you, too, Barnes. Slept good?" Naomi grinned and Bucky smirked at her, daring her to say more as he moved closer.

"Splendidly, thank you for asking," he answered and prepared himself when T'Challa turned around, coffee cup in one hand, plate of pancakes in the other. He caught sight of Bucky and froze, brown eyes growing wide as they slowly traced down his chest, the one Bucky had covered in his shirt. Bucky walked over to him, grabbed the coffee and sat down across from Naomi who was grinning bright enough that it was downright scary.

"Did yah at least bring us home a bird, lil kitty?" Bucky wiped that grin right off her face again and Naomi turned to scowl at him.  
"Rogers, Wilson and you come in a package deal, it's only fair that T'Challa gets to bring someone into this as well." She pointed out and Bucky sensed T'Challa shift behind himself, a plate of pancakes got set down on the table and in the next second a strong arm got pushed around his waist and stomach and T'Challa stepped close enough that his chest was flush against Bucky's back.

Good choice with the shirt, Barnes, he congratulated himself.

"I nominate your niece," T'Challa offered, a grin in his voice, even when he nuzzled gently at the back of Bucky's head, Naomi glared.  
"Hadiya is two." She grumbled and Bucky busied himself with filling his plate with pancakes and fruit while T'Challa held him back against his chest.  
"Yes, wonderful age, so pleasantly quiet and obedient when I tell her something."

Naomi huffed and stuffed another piece of glorious sweet fruit in her mouth, swallowing before speaking again, "So, what's on the agenda today?"  
"Not you." T'Challa was quick to answer and Bucky grinned when Naomi glared once more, T'Challa moved away from his back and slid into the chair next to him, "Tokomi is on creeper duty, you have the day off, take it and use it. Far away from me."

"You suck."

\--

"What are we doing today?" Bucky asked two hours after Naomi had left, after they had finished breakfast and retreated to the garden. Lying in the sun, his head pillowed by a gentle rising and falling stomach, gentle fingers stroking through his hair on one hand and playing with his own fingers on the other.

"How does nothing sound?" T'Challa replied and Bucky felt himself break out into a smile, turning on his side so he could look up into the face that was watching him with a loopsided grin.  
"Perfect." He answered and closed his eyes, safe and content, despite the open sky above him, he knew nothing would happen to him.

He must have fallen asleep again to the soothing caressing fingers in his hair and on his neck, because when he blinked open blue eyes again next, the sun was standing high up in the sky and he felt like he was on fire. Groaning a little he rolled away from the warm body beneath him and then winced when his left arm came in contact with the patch of bared skin on his waist where the shirt had ridden up.

"Fuck," he spit out and glared at the offending metal alloy, shifting his shoulder to recalibrate, he nearly saw white for a moment when the sudden heat rushed through his shoulder, head and chest, "Okay, wow, did not expect that." He croaked out through the heatrush.  
"Bucky?" T'Challa's voice was full of concern but Bucky managed to focus back on him quickly again, hovering above him now, blocking out the sweltering heat of the sun at noon.

"I'm fine."

"Sure, fine, just paler than the palace walls. Come on, up." Arms slipped under his right shoulder and around his waist and while he tried very hard not to throw up, Bucky let T'Challa pull him to his feet, "Easy. That's enough sun for you now." Leading him carefully over to the chairs and the bench on the patio, T'Challa set him down on the bench and then rushed inside.

"I guess there is a reason they called me the Winter Soldier," Bucky found himself musing a few minutes later, lying down on the soft padded bench with his head in T'Challa's lap, cold wet towel on his forehead and several wrapped around the metal arm to cool it down again.  
"Not funny," T'Challa hummed above him, his fingers lazily stroking through the stubble on Bucky's chin, but every now and then they dipped a little lower and Bucky was not unaware of T'Challa checking his pulse again and again.

"You are aware that I can't actually get sick from this, right? Heatstroke versus serum, I know who wins." He mumbled and reached up with his free hand to stop those fingers from going to his pulse point once more, "I'm fine."  
"Can't blame a guy for worrying." T'Challa defended his tactics and Bucky curled their fingers together, squeezing the other man's hand.

"I'm not. It's a change, I'm not used to having someone take care of me and me liking it." He admitted and brought T'Challa's hand up to his lips, brushing a kiss against each finger, "I'm sorry that I ruined the day."  
"You didn't ruin anything," T'Challa was quick to intervene, second hand offering a slice of apple to Bucky's lips who stopped with his kisses long enough to accept and chew. "I shouldn't have let us fall asleep in the sun, overheating metal arm or not, you're not used to the heat, you came straight here from New York City in November. We'll just stay here in the shadows, nothing is ruined, I promise."

\--

"Okay, now you're out to kill me," Bucky declared when he came back from taking a shower a couple of hours later, padding on bare feet back into the kitchen, "First, you cook, and now you bake as well?" There was a sound leaving his mouth that had T'Challa look up from where he was measuring sugar into a bowl.

His cheek had a spot of flour, and there came that sound again as Bucky pushed himself into walking again, crossing over to T'Challa with steps that were just on this side of rushing. T'Challa set the sugar down when he stopped next to him and reached up to stroke a thumb over the flour on his soft skin.

He leaned up on his toes a little, and the fact thrilled him, because he had to, with him barefoot and the other man still wearing shoes, their height difference was ultimately above that just cute little neck dip. Bucky had to lean up to kiss T'Challa, and that thought was almost as exciting as the kiss itself still was, and he could kiss T'Challa til the end of time and never get enough.

As it was, he forced himself to pull back after a long moment though, not wanting to keep T'Challa from creating more magical food. T'Challa, lips swollen and eyes flushed with pure delight, looked down at him, having wrapped a strong arm tight around Bucky's waist, drawn him closer as they had kissed, and now Bucky leaned back into the hold he had on him.  
"Can I help?" He wanted to know and offered at the same time, only to pout when T'Challa grimaced a little in his smile.

"You have to admit, " he began carefully, "You are not exactly...talented in the kitchen, and this is a very detailed recipe for a very beautiful cake." T'Challa presented as an explanation, "And I'd prefer it if you rested."  
"I am fine." Bucky protested and pressed another quick kiss to T'Challa's lips when the taller man opened them to complain, "Check my pulse, T'Challa, check my eyes. I am okay, big bad sucker serum still wins."

T'Challa lost the grimace and looked guilty for a moment, another facial expression Bucky hurried to kiss away. T'Challa sighed against his lips and then kissed back, slipping his other arms around Bucky as well, one hand splayed out broughtly against the small of the brunet's back. Small light kisses quickly turned into a more heated amount of liplocking and Bucky found himself turned around and pressed back against the counter, T'Challa's arms caging him in, hands heavy on his hips.

It was so easy to lose himself, to press up against the strong body so intent of getting him closer and closer. Warm lips opened against his, and Bucky nearly went week in the knees when teeth so very gentle nibbled on his bottom lip, and he fisted his hands into the back of T'Challa's shirt when the heat shot through his body. So very very different from the shock from a couple of hours ago, this was a whole different fire.

A fire that turned his brain into a foggy mush, and he struggled to keep his head above the water when T'Challa stroked his hands up his hips, pulling Bucky's shirt along as well. But when the first touch of warm gentle fingers on his skin registered in Bucky's head, his guards came shooting up in record time.  
"T'Challa..." he panted against lips that kept on pressing kisses along his jaw, and it would be so easy to just give in and...

No, he couldn't. He couldn't, not yet, not...

"Stop."

One word, one simple word whispered against soft skin and T'Challa still heard him immediately, hands falling away to the edge of the counter, whole body taking half a step back and Bucky felt the control falling back into his own hands. His hands, that he set upon T'Challa's chest, still gasping through breaths like his own was. He looked up and caught wide brown eyes, T'Challa's entire face portrayed guilt and concern.

"You didn't do anything wrong, I'm okay...I'm just...I'm not ready, Chall." He explained softly, feeling like shit for breaking up a beautiful amazing moment, under his palm T'Challa's heartbeat relaxed again.  
"Hey," came the gentle and always so understanding voice of the man he was so hopelessly gone for, "Hey, Buck, look at me." No pleading fingers on his chin followed, T'Challa waited patiently until Bucky looked up at him, his whole body thrumming with anxiety.

Instead of speaking again, T'Challa pulled him into a tight embrace that had Bucky breathe out all tension against his chest again. Of course he would understand, of course he would respect it, why couldn't his head just stay silent.  
"I'm sorry," he apologized but T'Challa shook his head against his, pulling back again so they came face to face.

"Don't, there is nothing to apologize for. We're going slow, whatever you're comfortable with. I'm happy when you're happy, okay? We're not going to rush for anything. Come here." And once more they embraced, Bucky wrapped both arms around T'Challa, how did he ever deserve...  
"You do deserve me, you deserve being happy, you deserve good things, and I will not stop telling you this until you realize it's true." T'Challa told him and then steered him towards the chair right next to where he had previously been busy with his baking ingredients.

"Can you read minds now, too?" Bucky joked lightly, gifting the other man with a small smile and T'Challa returned it easily, brushing a hand through his hair and then letting fingers gently stroke down the side of Bucky's face.  
"Only yours, darling." T'Challa answered him and the petname fell from his lips so naturally that Bucky grinned, all previous blaring panicked thoughts over his own insecurities forgotten, preening under the near possessive look T'Challa gave him.

He pulled him down by the lapels of his shirt, giving him a quick peck on the lips before pointing at the flour on the counter, "Can I get my cake now?"  
"Oh, it's your cake suddenly?" T'Challa wanted to know with raised eyebrows and Bucky grinned, leaning back in the chair.

"If you're nice, I might just give you a slide as well," he smirked in the end and T'Challa snorted but nevertheless picked up the flour again, leaning back over the small book next to the bowl, "And, Chall? Thank you."  
T'Challa looked over to him and smiled, "We're in this together. No step taken without the other one being completely on board with it."

\--

Needless to say, the cake was the best Bucky had ever had, which had about sixty percent to do with the actual cake and fourty percent with them sitting curled up on the couch and feeding each other from time to time. The Vampire Diaries's spinoff was running on the TV, and Bucky found a little more fun in the darker tone of the show even though he still didn't understand half the plot, but T'Challa nearly choked on a mouthful of cake when something was revealed.

And the raw look of almost comical shock on his face was enough to send Bucky into a laughing fit that T'Challa only ended with a toe-curling kiss. Their plates somehow made it safely upon the table and then the TV was ignored again when T'Challa rolled Bucky on his back, they exchanged lazy kisses, fingers stroked lovingly over cheeks and necks. There was no heated edge of pleasure threatening to bury Bucky under itself, and he remained completely relaxed.

When they stumbled into bed a couple of hours later, they had both all but forgotten the heat incident and the episode in the kitchen. Only the moment counted, they were both okay, they were both happy. 

\--


	8. I'm a lion, I'm a tiger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really much T'Challa in this, but Naomi needed her moment and some peeps from NY had to speak up to

"Ey!" She called out, throwing herself down on her couch and smiling into the camera of her laptop, two grinning faces greeted her on her screen. Naomi leaned back into the mountain of pillows, stretching out her body and ignoring the eye roll her sister sent her from the armchair by the windows where Tokomi was reading her book.

Day off. Both of them together for the first time in weeks.

As long as no one dared to be stupid enough to cause a rebellion or infiltrate T'Challa's little sanctuary.

"Hello!" Sam boomed, grinning from one ear to the other, arms spread wide over the back of the couch, whereas Natasha was sitting cross-legged next to him, peeling an orange with a combat knife, "To what do we owe this most delightful call?"  
"I was bored." Naomi offered as an eplanation and Sam huffed, turning his eyes into a small glare, "Day off, weather too hot to go out, cousin's no fun."

"Oh no!" Sam called out, setting one hand upon his chest in fake pity, eyes widened comically, "Oh, no, you poor child. The weather is too hot and too sunny, too bored in your luxury apartment in the palace, so overwhelmed in letting the maids know what we will eat today. You poor soul, you must be suffering," he switched his voice into a dry deadpan in the end and Naomi stuck his tongue out at him, "No shadow duty today?"

"Nope, T'Challa seems kinda set on not leaving the house or let Bucky go anywhere further than the backyard, so Okoye decided to let someone else guard the fence for now." Naomi explained and then flashed another wide grin when Natasha looked up from her orange with one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised and Sam had hitched both of his up high as possible, "See, I don't know what you told him, nor do I know what Okoye and my sister did with T'Challa, but something clearly changed."

"Oh?" Natasha inquired while Sam slowly started to smile that special all sunshine grin that had Naomi itching to get Tokomi over to the couch as well, just to see her blush.  
"Mhh," she agreed, eyes flickering over where Tokomi was eying her over the top of her book now, "I'm like 90% sure they're past first base, been awfully cuddly these last days and they're sleeping in the same bed now." Naomi got out with the truth and Tokomi's light blue eyes turned judging, "Oh, come on," she called out to her sister in English still, "He deserves some ribbing."

"Maybe T'Challa does, but Bucky really doesn't. He deserves his privacy." Tokomi snapped over and on the screen Sam grimaced for a moment, Naomi saw it all, but still she huffed and remained stubborn.  
"They were basically all over each over during breakfast, excuse me for not keeping my mouth to myself then." She called out and on the screen, Natasha leaned closer, eyes gleaming with the need for gossip then.

"Okay, you," it was Sam who spoke up nevertheless, licking his lips in total eagerness, "Tell me everything you know! And Toko, come over here, please?" It was interesting to witness how Tokomi groaned but still set her book down and strode over quickly, just because Sam had asked nicely, Naomi was beginning to find that particular piece of information way more interesting than whatever dance T'Challa and Bucky had concluded now.

Tokomi sat down, smiled and Naomi dared to exchange a look with Natasha when Sam positively beamed, "Alright then. They kissed, I can tell you that much. And I do believe many have followed since."  
"When?" Natasha shot out her question immediately and Naomi looked to her sister as well, she of course had known with just one look at T'Challa's face in the morning two days ago to know what must have happened. As much as he claimed to have the perfect blank pokerface, even he couldn't wipe that just-been-kissed-out-of-my-mind expression from his face.

"Two days ago, they were out hiking, came back late, just in time to sit outside and watch the sunset." Tokomi explained and though he clearly tried to hide it, Sam swooned a little, even Naomi couldn't keep the cooing from her voice. The strict king and the redeemed assassin, hopeless romantic fools, who would have guessed. Now, the territorial possessive man in love who didn't even want to leave the house anymore now to protect and shelter his sweetheart, that sounded a lot like her cousin.

T'Challa had always been one for protection. 

Between him and...Hunter, neither Tokomi nor her had ever needed to bother with bullies, despite how much they had wanted to at one point in their teens. Both her cousins and to some degree also Okoye, all of them had always been quick with threats and if needed even punches, and contrary to Okoye and...Hunter anyway...T'Challa had never lost that raging instinct to protect the people he cared about with everything he had.

And when it came to simpler things, to comfort his little cousins when they were scared or sad, T'Challa had been chosen person number two anyway, right after his father.

\--

Flashback

\--

The palace corridors were dark and cold and so big, and Naomi clutched Tokomi's little trembling hand tightly in her own as they rushed along the marble walls. When another flash of lightning illuminated the world outside the windows and threw really frightening shadows onto the walls and the ground, Tokomi whimpered again and clutched her little lion tighter to her chest, pushing herself closer to her sister. 

Naomi hated the statues and the big paintings, they were so ugly and you weren't supposed to climb onto them and there was no sense in having stuff when you couldn't even play with it, her five years of age logic provided her. Another thunder rolled out loud and booming and had even her jump. They rushed around another corner, Tokomi nearly slipping on her bare feet, it was so close to uncle's rooms, and he would make the stupid thunder go away.

Naomi knew that because uncle could do everything, everyone needed to listen to him, even the stupid sky would have to listen to him.

Big hands came out of nowhere and grabbed their arms and little shoulders, turning them around. Naomi and Tokomi both screamed as the shadowed figure towered over them, until more lightning revealed his face and Tokomi threw herself against a pyjama clad leg, crying into soft fabric. Hunter gave an unimpressed oomph and looked from her to Naomi who bit back another whimper.

"What are you doing up?" Hunter asked, setting a hand on a now openly crying Tokomi, "Little ones like you are not allowed to spook through the palace at night, you know that, Naomi." He chastised her and Naomi really wanted to stick her tongue out at him and tell him that he could not tell her what to do but the thunder came again and she jumped, "God in heaven, really? It's just a storm, it'll go away." She stared right back at him, stubborn to the very end already, Hunter grunted, "Fine, but you're not coming with me, I was kicked enough already by your pointy little feet."

He swooped them up, one of them in each arm, cursing under his breath when their bare little feet came in contact with his skin, "Not even wearing socks, I can't believe this." He nevertheless strode down the corridor in long determined steps and Naomi only frowned when they passed right by the corridor that led to the king's chambers.  
"Hunter, this is not the way to uncle..." she dared to say out loud and Hunter snorted, he was always so cold and angry now, Naomi didn't like that.

"T'Chaka is not here, he had to go out and help people. The storm did some damage in the south." Tokomi's eyes widened and Naomi glared at Hunter when her little sister only started to cry more, Hunter grimaced and hurried his steps, crossing the corridor over to the closed door that Naomi knew as well. Hunter more or less slammed the door open and on the bed her cousin flew up, still gasping when Hunter stopped next to his bed and dropped his cargo onto him.

Tokomi was quick to throw her arms around T'Challa's neck, lion squished right into his face so that he could only glare with one eye at his brother while his arms slowly came up to hold onto his youngest cousin. Naomi, sitting on his legs, took a moment to cross her arms over her chest to glower up at Hunter, she had seen T'Challa do that often enough already, but then it thundered again and she dashed under the covers, plastering herself to T'Challa's side, hands fisted into his shirt.

"Goodnight," she could hear Hunter laugh and then steps until the heavy door fell close again, T'Challa huffed but then he spoke, quietly and warm and kind.  
"Okay, how about you two let me lie down again and then Mimi tells me why you two are out of bed," he offered and Naomi let go of him. Soon enough, T'Challa was flat on his back again, Tokomi half on his chest, blanket pulled up to her ears, while Naomi was content with resting her head on one strong shoulder and having a warm arm around her while she told him about the monster that came for little girls during storms.

"Elim is a nuisance, and I will talk to him in the morning. It is not nice to scare one's little sisters." And his timing couldn't have been any better because in the next moment the door to his room opened again and Naomi saw how Shuri slipped inside, "Oh, not you, too." T'Challa groaned but nevertheless pulled back the covers on Tokomi's side of him so that his sister could crawl in as well, "Before anyone asks, we are not going to play a game, we are all going to sleep now."

\--

Flashback End

\--

"Jesus, he is one lucky bastard." Sam chuckled and drew her out of her thoughts again, next to her Tokomi rolled her eyes once more. Natasha asked for even more details and Tokomi finally gave up on the hesitation path and told what she had witnessed and what she had not seen got filled with guesses. Naomi was only a little miffed that Sam had gotten her to talk with just another little please while she had worked on her sister all day already, with no results but icy glares and lectures about privacy.

"Wait, he bakes?" Natasha wanted to know in total surprise, "He cooks and he bakes, and he is a king? And he likes to cuddle?" To all of it she got a nod from both sisters, "Wow, I'm gonna pack my bags right now and fly out, I am so going to steal Barnes his man."  
"I love you, too, Tasha," came from off screen and Naomi snickered upon the annoyed tone in the familiar voice, Natasha looked up and glared.

"Hey, Clint." Naomi called out, "Why don't you join us?" She liked the archer, Barton was funny, an adorable human disaster, but also a great father and his family was just the cutest, and then of course there was also the fact that his wife had somehow adopted Bucky into the family.  
"Not allowed," came the quick answer from Sam, who grinned into the off while Tokomi and Naomi both raised an eyebrow, "He is only allowed back into the fun corner after he set the Dad mode aside. No boring old responsible people in the club, only hip cool youth."

"Yeah, I know when I'm not welcome." Clint grumbled and than must have left because Naomi could hear a door close in the background, Sam rolled his eyes and Natasha didn't let anything be seen on her face aside from the amused smile, so she guessed it was all still alright.  
"Did you send Bucky his termination notice already?" Tokomi quipped and Sam looked at her, eyes set into confusion, "Sam, they were preparing to bake cookies this morning when I told T'Challa that I was leaving. They have an entire country full of excitement and wonderful sights at their feet but prefer to stay cuddled together at the kitchen counter to make cookie dough."

"Cookies are cool." Sam replied in the most deadpanned voice Naomi had ever heard someone use, but it was Natasha who spoke next.  
"You know, we do have to get them out of the house. Bucky would hide from the world forever if he found a way, and we will not support that. Didn't you say something about a karaoke bar last month, Naomi?" Natasha asked and Naomi started to grin, wasn't that a nice idea.

\--

The water was hot on his skin, and Bucky welcome the cold touch of the tiles when he dropped his forehead against them, eyes falling shut to let the sensation of touch pull him under completely. Waterdrops sliding down his naked back, fingertips dancing over skin to their very own rhythm, in the wake of them goosebumps rising along his waist and hips.

Muscles twitching. Breaths gasped past parted lips.

A bitten off groan. A hitched moan that got quickly muffled when he turned his face against his shoulder.

Imagination was a strong tool.

A warm chest against his back. Strong arms pressing him back against it. Warm gentle hands everywhere on his skin. Soft lips against his neck. That voice he loved so much whispering breathlessly into his ear.

And sometimes, when your own insecurities let you freeze up too often still when it came to physical contact with other people, your own imagination could still take the edge off.

Bucky didn't hold back on the loud gasp and and quiet cry when he came, catching himself against the tiled back of the shower with both hands, riding on the high of his orgasm while the water washed away all evidence. And only when he could feel his heartbeat settling down again after a few minuted did he reach for the shampoo, getting to what he had originally planned to get under the shover for.

It hadn't been the first time his thoughts had drifted under the shover, it was a regular occurence that the warm steady stream of water had his head think of T'Challa and his hands, his voice, his shoulders... He really needed to work on that skin contact before he was driven crazy by his own desires, and that pool had really been begging all day, but it had been so much more wonderful to rest in the shade of the patio and not move a single muscle for hours.

He gave himself ten more minutes in the shower before turning off the water, he had really kept T'Challa waiting long enough probably, normal people certainly didn't take showers longer than some baths lasted. He was towelling his hair dry when his phone buzzed on his nightstand and Bucky raised an eyebrow, hesitating for a moment before dropping the towel around his shoulders.

\--

"Do I need to call T'Challa for a very serious conversation?" Pulling down his eyebrows in confusion, Bucky froze with his hairbrush halfway through the left side of his hair, frowning at himself in the mirror. Trying to make sense of those words coming out of Clint's mouth after over ten minutes of easy small talk about the kids. Bucky had maybe sworn himself to not jump at every buzz his phone gave and had only turned it on again because that somehow lessened the temptation to check every now and then, but after almost two weeks his curiosity had won out at least concerning the Barton minis.

"Call him for what now?" He wanted to know, finishing with the brush and then pulling his hair up into a messy bun with the hair-tie, one he had more or less stolen from Wanda before leaving because his had all vanished again. His hair had reached that annoying phase again where not a single strand seemed to want to obey him.  
"A shovel talk, Buck," Clint sing-songed and in the background Bucky could hear Natasha's demand for speaking with Buck-Buck. He cursed the day Sam got everyone to call him that.

"A...Clint, no." He protested the second the words really got noticed in his head, he leaned down to pick the towel up from the ground, throwing it into the hamper in the corner.  
"Clint, yes. Someone needs to protect your virtue now where Stevie-boy is too busy eating cake and shifting through flower arrangements to do so." The archer argued, and the Dad vibe was so thick and heavy that Bucky felt as if he could grasp it over the phone line.

"Clint, I swear," he warned and tried to sound threatening which wasn't very easy when he was so busy trying to bite his laughter away.  
"Is he treating you well?" Clint laid it on even worse, and at that point Bucky couldn't even be sure if he meant it seriously or not. Their friendship had been real, right from the very first second, real and weird, because Clint could be the best pal, getting you drunk on Asgardian liquor in some rundown club in Brooklyn, but he could also from one second to the next switch into the overprotective father role that gave you lectures over hangovers and manners.

"Oh my god..." he therefore groaned in the appropriate reaction and this time Clint actually laughed, breaking out of that creepy too serious to be still honest attitude.  
"Is he looking out for what you want?" Clint asked and Bucky gaped at himself in the mirror before turning his eyes down on the phone sitting to very innocently on the edge of the sink.  
"Jesus," he breathed out, his mind quite on its own switching back to those thoughts from only fourty minutes ago in the shower.

"Do you feel safe with him?" Clint was still going on and Bucky bit his lip to get his head to focus back on the present, growling once, a response that sent Clint into hysterics.  
"You're not my Dad!" Bucky snapped at him, regretting that Clint had been around when he had slipped up with Laura after spending the entire day helping Lila to get Nate to say Mama.  
"Is he being careful?", came the next question and Bucky dragged a hand down his face, god, he really could only pray that T'Challa was not hearing this.

"I'm ending this call, Clint!" He called out and the loud laughter stopped immediately and maybe that was why he liked Clint so much as a friend, he liked to tease but realized directly when he was getting closer to going too far, and he pulled the breaks on his running mouth.  
"Alright. Answer me one question and I'll stop it all." He offered as a deal and Bucky groaned again, slapping his hand against his thigh, "Fine."

"Does he make you happy?" Clint wanted to know and Bucky felt the undeniable warmth of that particular feeling flood back into every cell of his body, lips pulling up.  
"Yes...And you know what?" Bucky smiled at the man grinning back at him in the mirror now, "The answer to all your questions is yes. It hurts to say this out loud, because it feels like I am betraying what you guys all did for me, but I haven't felt this happy as I feel now, here in Wakanda, since the day I left for the war in Europe."

"Good," Clint answered quietly, satisfaction and relief in his voice, "That's very good to hear, and Bucky? Don't for a second think you have to feel bad about it, everyone here knows how grateful you are, but right now...You think of yourself, buddy, okay? We're all okay, we got each other's back. You focus on what you want now."  
"That an order, Hawkdad?" Bucky smirked at his mirror image and then reached for the shirt hanging over the edge of the sink, over the line he could hear Clint's annoyed huff over the nickname Stark had started.

"Have a good vacation, Bucky. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You're setting the bar real low, Barton." Bucky found himself snarking back on complete autopilot, using the short pause before Clint's comeback to put on his shirt.  
"You watch your tongue, young man. I gotta go now, Steve and Tony want a movie night. I'm smelling a trap but at least I won't walk into it alone. Don't forget the call with the kids or Lila will scream in your face on christmas, Bucky." Clint told him and Bucky chuckled.

"Trust me, I would never forget them. Bye, Clint." They cut the call and Bucky set his phone back onto the nightstand in the guest room that was basically all deserted by now. He found T'Challa half asleep on the bench on the patio, feet stuck into the slim edge of sunshine that managed to get under the canopy.

"Light warning, Clint might be preparing a shovel talk," he mumbled as he crawled upon the bench and slumped down next to T'Challa. The other man snorted and wrapped an arm around his waist, burying his face in softened brunet hair.  
"I'm very good in looking like I am listening, years of council sessions taught me well," T'Challa said without opening his eyes for even a second and Bucky felt his own eyes dropping close once the relaxing warmth of the body next to his really sank in.

What a beautiful day this had been.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it   
> Next time? Hmmmm....is it time for some pool fun? And huh? Does that mean shirts come off?


	9. Just gimme that touch, I want it

Seventeen days after stepping foot into Wakanda, Bucky found himself standing behind the still closed patio doors, staring through the glass at the gently moving water in the pool. Sixteen days of paradise vacation, private pool with breathtaking view and not for once had he thought about going swimming.

How odd.

"Did the pool offend you in any way?" T'Challa called over to him from where he was still cleaning up after breakfast, Bucky blinked and saw his frown mirrored back in the glass.  
"No," he answered and then cocked his head to the side, "I think it's rather begging me to use it." Bucky got out with the truth and then turned around, catching dark eyes quickly, "I think I wanna go swimming."

"You think or you want?" T'Challa wanted clarified and Bucky stuck his tongue out at him, walking back over and smiling once he was close enough to wrap his arms around the other man's chest.  
"I want to," he pointed out and looked up into T'Challa curious face, "You got anything else planned?"  
"No," the answer came quickly, strong arms got wrapped around Bucky's waist, pulling him closer to T'Challa's chest even, "Absolutely nothing. Meet you back here in ten?"

"Aren't you supposed to wait an hour after eating with the swimming?" Bucky asked out loud but followed T'Challa down the corridor to get to the guest room where his clothes were still stores, even though he didn't use the room for anything else anymore.  
"It's the pool, Bucky, not the ocean." T'Challa yelled over his shoulder as he slipped into his bedroom, leaving the door open, "What are you planning on doing? Cartwheels?"

Bucky snorted and let that be answer enough while he opened the closet and rummaged around for the pair of swim trunks that Laura had turned up with shortly before he had needed to drive up to the airport. He hadn't had a mother in a long long time but nowadays somehow the smallest things got completely out of hand if it wasn't for her saving the day again and again, she was the real hero among the Avengers.

Grabbing the blue shorts, he swung himself into the bathroom, closed the door and kicked off his sweatpants. Slipping into the shorts, he tried to think back to the last time he had been swimming. Swimming just for fun and not because Hydra forces had cut off the bridge and they needed to cross over the river, or because the target had been on his yacht, or an escape back into the shadows was only possible via water route. 

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Bucky raked a hand through his hair, then reached for the hemline of his shirt and froze.

\--

Panic attacks were the worst when they caught you completely off guard with no warning beforehand whatsoever. Complete loss of control from one breath to the next and Bucky found himself free falling into the sneering voices inside his head.

Hands clutching at the sink, his breaths speeding up and getting shallower with every gasp.

It had been months since he had last frozen uop entirely, whole body going on lockdown while his head took control and set everything to full on mental freak out, and thankfully this time he was not in the middle of a battlefield against rabbits on crack.

It had gotten better for him to deal with these attacks, too, which of course didn't mean he had become a pro at handling it. Especially not when they crashed over him like this.

\--

"Buck, you're alright?"

Bucky tried to call out, tried to say even the smallest word, but his throat was so choked up that he couldn't even do that. He could only focus on breathing. In and out. In and out. It was so ridiculous, it was so goddamn stupid, a few weeks ago he hadn't even hesitated when his laptop had rung with a skype call while he had been shirtless, why was he freaking out now.

Why was this any different? What could possibly be different now...

Why was he being so stupid about it?

"Bucky, I'm coming in," was all the gentle warning he got before the door opened and T'Challa's footsteps hurried inside, crossing over to him where he was still standing at the sink. His whole body on lockdown, head hanging low, arms braced against the marble. T'Challa's warmth at his back nearly sent his head into an even worse overdrive, and Bucky only kept a hold on himself with sheer will alone. 

"Talk to me, Buck," T'Challa pleaded and gently brought a hand up to stroke over his shoulders, tensed so much it almost hurt.  
"I...can't." Bucky somehow managed to press out, lifting his head enough so that he could catch the deeply concerned look T'Challa gave him, and more importantly so that he could see the full blown panic in blue eyes.

"Okay, okay," T'Challa kept his calm and god, Bucky could have fallen for him all over again, "Come, come with me." It took a little bit of manhandling, a lot of supporting on T'Challa's part and definitely a lot of embarassing pathetic stumbling on Bucky's side to walk over into the master bedroom.

They laid down, Bucky curled against T'Challa's taller frame, eyes falling shut and trying so hard to match his breathing to the calm steady ones under his head. Strong arms got wrapped around his shoulders and waist, one leg slung over his, and then T'Challa waited.

Five minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Until more than half an hour later, Bucky was finally able to take a really deep breath, tension seeping out of his body and vanishing into the abyss while he shifted his head and pushed his face into the crook of T'Challa's neck, "I'm sorry," he mumbled against warm skin.  
"Shh," T'Challa soothed, lips brushing a kiss into his hair, "It's okay, you're okay. Wanna tell me what brought this on?"

"My head," Bucky tried to put it simple, "It's...I...when..." he huffed when he couldn't get the words past his lips and rolled upon his back, setting his eyes upon the ceiling to clear his head, and then he was able to speak, "No one has looked at me the way you did since before I fell, like someone worth something good, like someone to be desired." He spoke to the ceiling but welcomed the hand slipping into his with a skipping heart, "And the people who have seen me without a shirt on and weren't Hydra or the Russians? I can count them on one hand, Chall." And just to emphasize the point he held up a hand and popped up his fingers as he continued, "Tony, because he is the only one now I trust for repairs. Sam. Laura...And well, you, because I didn't think that night."

"Not even Steve?" T'Challa sounded shocked and Bucky turned his head towards him again, shaking his head slightly, his hand got squeezed.  
"I can't judge what pictures were in that file he got from Natasha, I never looked into it. I don't know what Natasha and him have seen, but...it doesn't count for me, it's different. I'm not that person from the pictures anymore." There was silence between them for a long moment again, but then T'Challa leaned in and kissed him, starting out soft but gaining more heat slowly.

And just right as Bucky felt his annoying mind been driven right out of his body again, T'Challa pulled away and he whined. Fucking honestly whined. T'Challa grinned above him, propped up on his hands left and right of his shoulders, "You know this means a lot to me, right? Your trust, that you let me be with you."  
"It means a lot to me that you let me be here with you," Bucky breathed out and T'Challa's grin got softer.

"I don't see your scars, Bucky, I see you. I see your strength, after everything that you have been through. When I saw those scars," T'Challa said quietly and moved one hand up upon Bucky's left shoulder. Blue eyes fell shut when he felt the warmth seeping through his shirt, sinking into the place where flesh joined metal, where sometimes even the strongest morphine couldn't stop the pain, "It showed me that you are still alive. It meant I still had you here with me, still had a chance. It doesn't show weakness, not to me. They are part of you, and every part of me wants every part of you."

He didn't know, couldn't put a name of what it did to his heart, to his head, to his body, but all Bucky knew was that the words registered in his head just a split second before he had pushed T'Challa onto his back and was hovering over him. Panting through his breaths while his eyes couldn't stop looking down at brown ones, every ounce of T'Challa's attention on him.

And only on him.

His hands were no longer shaking when he brought them to the hem of his shirt, pulling it off in one fluent motion and then after he had thrown it away, he looked down again. Looked down again and reached out with one hand to bring one of T'Challa's up. Bucky let his eyes fall shut again when a warm hand felt up his chest in a gentle touch, curling around his bicep before slowly sliding up.

He gasped when fingers first and then a whole hand carefully glided over the angry scarring on his shoulder, the most sensitive point of his body nowadays. And nothing had ever felt this good on his skin, no one had ever touched him like this. So full of want and desire and...love.  
"You okay?" T'Challa wanted to know softly and right against his lips, and Bucky hadn't even noticed him sit up. He nodded though, and then smiled right against the kiss T'Challa gifted him, "Good, that is very good." 

"Why?" Bucky managed to breathe right against T'Challa's lips, completely distracted by the gentle way the other man kept stroking his shoulders and neck, his own hands were holding onto T'Challa's arms...his still fully clothed arms.  
"Because there is a pool calling our names," T'Challa told him and then he was just up and gone and Bucky was left staring at the bedsheets.

"What?" His brain conjured up after a few seconds and he spluttered the word past his flushed lips, whirling around on the bed just in time to see T'Challa turn the corner into the corridor, "Seriously? Right now? I thought we were having a moment!" Bucky yelled after him but the only thing coming back was a loud chuckle and then T'Challa's already distant voice.

"Hurry up and we'll have a moment in the water!"

Bucky jumped off the bed and hurried into the corridor, only to scramble to a complete hold when his bare feet came in contact with soft black cotton. His head blanked for a moment at the sight, because with that shirt down there...it could not be on T'Challa any longer and...

"Did you seriously think he would keep his clothes on in the pool, Bucky?" he mumbled to himself and shook his head, "Get it together, Barnes."  
"Are you coming or not?" T'Challa yelled from outside before his inner monologue had really been finished and Bucky took a deep breath to his body under control again and then rushed on. 

In the living room he caught himself against the back of the couch when his eyes fell upon the pair of light brown cotton pants, and yup, he thought, not gonna get anything together properly anymore today. The sound of splashing water from beyond the open patio door drew him to act again, swim trunks suddenly feeling way too tight as he made his way out onto the patio.

"About time." T'Challa greeted him and then splased him from head to toe with water.

\--

"I got a question," T'Challa started up a while later, pushing himself over to where Bucky had sat himself down on the edge of the pool to enjoy the sun on his skin for a bit.  
"Shoot." Bucky offered him, looking down when T'Challa propped his crossed arms up on his legs that were dangling in the water.

"Metal arm, how did you figure out it was water-proof?" T'Challa asked, voice all serious but brown eyes were dancing with mischief, Bucky grinned down at him.  
"Wouldn't you like to know..." he chuckled and T'Challa began smiling himself, a fire starting up in his eyes that Bucky knew from his own veins, he smirked, "But that story needs a little hunting," he said, pushed T'Challa under water and jumped up.

He got as far as the middle of the grass field until strong arms got wrapped around him from behind and he got pulled off his feet. Bucky threw his head back and started laughing, tears of pure joy running down his face while T'Challa carried him over to the pool again. Still laughing, Bucky went under and came up spluttering and spitting water, grinning and all but ready when T'Challa was there in the next second.

Arms wrapped around him, lips melting against his.

Somehow they kicked and pushed themselves to the shallow part of the water without letting go of each other and then Bucky found himself on his back. Hands roaming over smooth skin as T'Challa traced a path down his neck with burning lips.

"T'Challa?"

"Oh my god," said man groaned against Bucky's neck while Bucky froze beneath him, one leg in the process of being hitched over T'challa's hip, "You mentioned something about private islands Stark owns? I'm starting to realize why."

"T'Challa!"

"What do you want, Naomi?" He yelled right back and rolled off of Bucky, who huffed and splashed water into his face. Heels clicked on the ground, coming closer until they stopped somewhere between the door and the pool's stairs.  
"I was send by...." and there she must have looked up because she continued with, "And obviously interrupted something..." Bucky glanced over to T'Challa, who was glaring up at Naomi with water still dripping down his neck and chest...and yes, focus somewhere else desperately needed.

"Now, how would you come to that conclusion?" T'Challa snarled, and that was the last thing Bucky understood for a while before he pushed himself into the deep water again, face still burning hot, and started on some rounds to get his body to relax again.

He didn't know how much time had passed while he lost complete focus on the for and back, on the movements of legs and arms, the feeling of the water around him, the gentle touch of a hand on his ankle...

The surprise had him swallow water, twisting away from the touch and break the surface of the water, spluttering and gasping for air.  
"Sorry!" T'Challa called out, hands raised up high as Bucky whirled around to look at him, eyes still wild, still spitting out water, "That was a stupid idea." He held out a hand and Bucky grabbed it, let himself be pulled back into the shallower part of the pool, water coming up to his shoulders when he let his feet touch the ground again right next to T'Challa.

"Is Naomi gone?" He mumbled against soft lips that claimed his before even thinking about answering, warm hands sliding over Bucky's back until they settled on his hips when T'Challa pulled back again so he could speak.  
"Gone like the wind, " he smiled and promised in one breath and Bucky grinned, feeling very loose and daring.

He wanted to feel skin again.

"Can we go inside?" He asked and T'Challa flashed a blinding smile that had Bucky's toes curl pleasantly, a shudder of pure want running along his spine.  
"Where do you want me?" T'Challa offered and Bucky's knees went weak with how easily the other man put himself at his command, waited for him to take the first step so he could follow.  
"You're too good to me." Bucky breathed out and then crashed their lips together, legs nudging T'Challa to start walking backwards.

\--

T'Challa fell upon the couch with a gasp, a gasp that quickly got cut off when Bucky followed him, crawling on top of him, kissing him hungrily. Hands roaming over exposed skin, for him just as much as for the man beneath him, arching his back greedily to get closer, to feel more of him. Their kiss got deepened and Bucky retaliated to the bitten bottom lip by raking a set of fingernails down T'Challa's chest.

T'Challa hissed, breaking apart from him, he threw his head back, exposing that flawless throat. An invitation Bucky took with great pleasure, dipping his head down trail hot needy kisses down T'Challa's neck. When he reached the collarbone, he stopped and straightened up again, shifting until he was straddling the other man's thighs,T'Challa's hands felt up his own as he turned his head to look at him.

Panting and gasping already, they stared at each other for a long moment, T'Challa's thumbs absentmindedly stroking over a patch of skin on Bucky's thighs, while he had both his hands splayed out on a dark skinned chest.

"I love you."

Bucky bit his lips after it had bubbled out, waiting with a thundering heart on how the other man would react, he hadn't exactly meant to say it, but every vein in his body was currently filled with so much of it that it just couldn't have waited any longer it seemed. Two weeks were too short of course, he knew that, but he knew even more that this relationship had been going on for far longer already, they just hadn't seen it.

And he had lost too many things in his life already to wait with the important moments.

And in his defense, T'Challa didn't even look surprised that much, his whole face curling into a breathtaking smile that made Bucky glad he had been sitting already. Slowly, T'Challa curled an arm around his waist and then pushed himself up from the couch, just high enough that they could kiss at any moment again.

"I love you, too, Bucky." He said and then pressed his lips to Bucky's in what had to be the sweetest kiss they had shared until now. It honestly made Bucky's toes curl, made his skin tingle with happiness from head to toe, made everything seem so much brighter and warmer. Feeling drunk and so blissfully dumb, he grinned at T'Challa when they broke apart again, a low groan escaping his already parted lips when T'Challa slipped his hands down his back to curl around his ass on both sides.

And then he turned them.

Bucky was left breathless and stunned, just as he was every time T'Challa was easily able to show him just how strong he was, just how easy he could lift him, carry him, outrun him. How easy it was for him to be stronger than Bucky. Blinking up at T'Challa from where he was the one laid out on the couch now, Bucky smiled all hazed and half dead to everything that wasn't T'Challa at this very second.

Warm hands stroked down his chest, up to his shoulders again and down his arms, and Bucky closed his eyes and threw his head back when T'Challa let his lips follow. Shutting off his brain, he gave complete control to his heart and let himself get lost in what he felt, clutching at the fabric of the couch. It had been so long since someone had touched him like this.

He was flying, soaring without wings, there were no other words for it, T'Challa's hands made him feel weightless. Boneless. 

\--

Bucky had no recollection at all how they made it to the bed, just a vague inner picture of being dragged and laughing down the corridor, stumbling into every piece of furniture along the way. Especially that larger than life-sized black panther statue that Bucky had teased T'Challa about enough already, now he would probably never be able to even look at one anymore without remembering that kind of move on T'Challa's part.

That was going to be a joyride if they ever got to visit the palace.

But now he was stretched out on the bed, all loose limbs and pleasant hum under his skin, warm and relaxed and safe. Hours must have passed, through the windows he could see the sun standing lower than he could remember the last time he had taken notice of it. T'Challa was lying sprawled across his chest, head pillowed on one of Bucky's shoulders, quietly snoring and breathing against his neck.

The sheets were hitched down to their hips so it was easy for him to reach up a hand and let fingertips gently dance over bared skin, tracing along T'Challa's spine, up to his shoulders. Muscles twitched under his touch and T'Challa moved his head just enough to nuzzle against Bucky's neck in his sleep.

Bucky smiled and let his lips brush a light kiss against the other man's forehead, setting his palm flat against T'Challa's spine between his shoulderblades, hooking a leg around the one between his under the sheets. He knew that his stomach would ruin the moment soon enough, demanding sustenance after this exciting marathon of making out and...more.

But for now, he was way too content to feel T'Challa's weight on his body, pinning him down to the bed, offering protection and comfort at the same time. Just feel the warm skin against his, enjoy the satisfaction and bone deep contentment, nothing to worry about, his head a perfectly blank canvas of pure happiness.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a longer and more explicit version of that smutty scene in the future, but I don't know when yet. I'll make sure to note it in a future chapter here though when it's out to be read.  
> Hope you liked this chapter and still want to read more!
> 
> Tomorrow I will get to see Civil War and I can't wait to hear T'Challa talk and to see Bucky and him! And everyone else, too! And I will cry, I just know it!


	10. Singing Hey Hey Hallelujah, Hey Hey Hallelujah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naomi "sings", Tokomi sings, Bucky dances and T'Challa enjoys

"Hey, Bucky." 

He didn't look up from the book in his hands, didn't move his legs off the couch, didn't do anything that acknowledged him having hard that sultry little drawl, even though he had and was very much aware of those familiar steps prowling closer to him. Naomi was taking the direct approach, like he would have expected, it was also her who had talked, also expected, Tokomi was creeping along the side, cutting off his other exit.

Once, it would have put him on edge, would have sent his nerves flaring up and his body into attack mode, now he didn't slip out of the post heavy make out session blissed out state of peacefulness. Naomi and Tokomi meant safety and protection.  
"Bucky-yyyy." Naomi singsonged, drawing his name out painfully long and Bucky forcefully shut his book when her fingers stroked through his hair.

"What do you want, Naomi?" He asked, slowly, looking up when Tokomi crawled upon the end of the couch next to his feet like a cat. Naomi was leaning in, her lips almost brushing his ear when she whispered, "Your shirt off."

Bucky was off the couch and had put the armchair between himself and the smirking duo of women, who were dressed in flashy wild outfits, out for partying. Naomi's pink, purple and blue combination was really something for the eyes, even Tokomi's bright yellow dress went under next to that.

"T'CHALLA!"

"I heard, I heard, I'm here." T'Challa slid into the room on still bare feet, hair still wet, wearing only pants, "What is going on here?"  
"We're taking you out." Naomi began and Tokomi effortlessly took over, "To the karaoke bar down in the old district, no protest. We're not taking no for an answer, and yes we will drag you there if you don't follow voluntarily. Get dressed. Give Bucky something of yours, Chall, he needs some color."

"I'm not going to sing." Bucky responded in a first kneejerk reaction, "Over my dead body...but...dancing might be nice?" He added and turned round eyes up to look at T'Challa, not seeing how Naomi and Tokomi did the same, only their smiles way more predatory.  
"Fine." T'Challa agreed and over the girl's cheering, Bucky would see that T'Challa had not only said yes because it would please them but also because he wanted to go himself, "Come on, let's find something we can wear that doesn't clash with Miss Peacock over there."

Once they were in the master bedroom, Bucky found himself pushed up against the closed door, T'Challa's hands gripping onto his hips and his lips pressing a hungry kiss against Bucky's.  
"You know I will be coming home with you tonight, Chall, you don't need to convince me." Bucky gasped out breathlessly when T'Challa let his lips move down to Bucky's neck, sucking in a mark that felt very much like marking territory, Bucky wasn't complaining in the slightest.

"We can't dance together, not without the girls. Not yet." T'Challa apologized when they broke apart, and Bucky leaned in for a gentle quick kiss.  
"I don't care. It's fine, Chall. Let's just have fun, we can still dance together when we come home." Bucky grinned and T'Challa followed suit.   
"That's what we're calling it now? Dancing?" He laughed and then moved to the closet, Bucky leaned back against the door and caught his breath again.

\--

"Man, she is the worst," Bucky grimaced and fought down the urge to slap his hands over his ears, "I'm not even gonna try and be nice about this. This is not singing, this is nails on a blackboard." He complained and sent another disbelieving look down to the woman belting out her lungs on stage, beaming and grinning and having the time of her life.

"She isn't perfect, you know, despite what she claims differently." T'Challa told him, smiling, relaxed and amused and seemingly used to the horrible musical talent of his cousin.   
"I never expected her to be perfect, but Chall, she can't hold a damn tone for even a second. This is torture!" Bucky knew he was whining and that his voice was more Brooklyn than anything else by now, damn Wakanda and it's stupid potent drinks. They had barely been in this bar for two hours and he was already unable to tell both women no when they offered him colorful little drinks.

The place wasn't as crowded as he was used to from the few times he had let Clint and Sam drag him out into New York City's night life, it had him more relaxed. And he knew that Naomi and Tokomi were armed, despite the short dresses and bright colors, despite the heels and the glitter, Tokomi's earrings alone could be classified as weapons. And while they had gotten dressed, Bucky had definitely seen a blade disappearing into T'Challa's pants as well, and strangely enough Bucky hadn't felt the need to arm himself with even the smallest knife. His fingers hadn't twitched once, not like in New York, where he still couldn't even go out to get a coffee from the place around the corner from the tower without at least a switchblade in his pockets.

He wondered just when exactly Wakanda had changed that need in the last days.

"You wanna go up there and show her how it's done?" T'Challa challenged and Bucky turned to smirk up at him, under the table in the booth on the first floor that Naomi and Tokomi had apparently eternally reserved for them T'Challa let his fingers brush against his knee.  
"Don't get cocky, I just might." Bucky warned and next to them, Tokomi snorted, glancing away from where she was capturing Naomi's show on stage in the karaoke bar on her phone.  
"I'm not sure their classics go that far back, Buck." T'Challa teased, flashing a grin that spoke volumes of what he wanted.

"Oh, get a room you two." Tokomi groaned, but playfully, Bucky still pulled back from where he had leaned a little closer to T'Challa, still not really comfortable with strangers around. All three of them flinched in the next moment when Naomi shrieked herself through an impressive high note of her current Cascada song. Bucky really missed old music.  
"Don't kill me for not clapping for this." He winced, really not embracing having enhanced hearing at the moment, Naomi at least looked like she could not possibly have more fun.

"I would kill you if you did clap." Tokomi deadpanned and then smoothly got to her feet, straightening out her dress again, downstairs the people went wild when the last chorus came around. Either half deaf the lot of them, or terrified into cheering or they just all loved Naomi too much, Bucky tried not to think about it too much.

"If you will excuse me, someone has to push my sister off that stage." And with a dangerous smile, Tokomi walked away, Bucky looked to T'Challa when he chuckled.  
"Now, you'll see that not all of my family is tone deaf." He explained and Bucky turned back just in time to see Tokomi climbing up on stage and pointing for Naomi to leave. It must have looked sweet for the audience, her cute little smile, downcast eyes, pretty yellow dress, when in truth she was about as dangerous and vicious as she could be to her sister at the moment, they liked to unite against people but also upstage each other from time to time. And Bucky had quickly learned that the things Tokomi didn't say or do were way more important than the things she did show.

"Does that mean I will never get to hear you under the shower again?" Bucky asked the man sitting next to him, T'Challa poked him and Bucky snickered, "Goddamn, that was so worth it to be sneaky once."  
"Did someone ever tell you how much of a mischievious little bastard you can be?" T'Challa asked him, his knee sliding along Bucky's thigh.  
"Sam, about every two days." Bucky answered easily and then grew really really still and quiet.

On stage, Tokomi had started to sing.

\--

It was beautiful. Mesmerizing, wonderful and amazing. Her voice was music. Bucky wasn't aware of himself gaping until T'Challa's hand reached over and gently pushed his mouth close again.  
"She's quite something, isn't she? My father used to say that the only thing worth more than vibranium was her voice." T'Challa explained quietly and Bucky nodded absentmindedly.

His ears were filled with the soul warming rendition of the yearning love song. And he had a good impression of whom it was for.

The whole bar seemed to erupt into a thundering applause and loud cheering once the song was over, and while Tokomi blushed and thanked the crowd while she searched for a new song, Bucky wondered just how often the girls came here to be able to hog the stage that much. Tokomi's next song was an upbeat number in Wakanda's native language, but though he didn't understand it, the mood still caught on and Bucky felt his foot tap along quickly.

As if sensing that, Naomi materialized next to him out of thin air in the next second, stretching out her hand, "Dance with me?"  
"It would be my pleasure." Bucky answered and let her pull him to his feet before following her down to the dancefloor.

Mingling into the crowd made him a little uncomfortable first, moving bodies, loud laughter, sometimes yelling, all in a language he didn't understand, but Naomi took it away with bright smiles and a strong hand leading his, twirling under his arm first and then setting it firmly around her hip. His left arm was almost on display, but no one looked twice, no one shuffled away or turned to stare when he accidently bumped into them or they into him.

And by the time Tokomi started on her third song, Bucky had lost himself to the fun of dancing, muscles singing in joy and his face anyway, especially when Naomi presented him with a bunch of friends of hers, one of whom shyly asked Bucky for a dance in stumbling English.

\--

T'Challa raised an eyebrow when Tokomi came back from the bar after her stint on stage with a thick smirk and a bottle of Tequila, falling back into the booth with a pleased sigh, kicking off her heels.  
"Are you conducting some scientific experiments? You know despite your best intentions, you can't get him drunk. Buzzed maybe for some minutes, but Bucky doesn't drink Tequila." He told her and Tokomi snorted, filling two shot glasses with the clear liquid.

"First of all, I know what he likes and what he doesn't, secondly, who said it's him I want to get drunk?" She grinned, all devil and danger, sliding the glass over to him, "Now drink up." He stared at her for a moment, long enough to have her wrap his hand around the glass, "You haven't let go in ages, cousin, gotta unwind a bit. You became king, not monk."

There was a thousand arguments he had on hand to tell her, but Tokomi looked like even the simplest word of protest from him would result in the bottle being shoved down his throat, so T'Challa chose to drown the glass instead. On the dancefloor, Bucky was spinning another girl around, while Naomi flirted with at least two other girls at once.

"So, anything in particular you want to get off my loose tongue once I'm half a bottle in? Gotta prepare myself, Toko." He teased her and turned his attention back to his youngest cousin.  
"Well, as a matter of fact, there is," she began, pouring him another glass, "Okoye told me there is a council meeting sheduled out of order in three days and that the king himself will speak even though he still is on official full vacation for another week. What's that about?"

"It's exactly about what you think it is," T'Challa let himself fall into the trap, guards down, doors open, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol, this was a decision that he should have done a long time ago, "It's got nothing to do with Bucky, it's got nothing to do with what anyone said to me in the last weeks. I've been working on this decision for far longer," he therefore explained to her, "And I made this decision myself, made it so that I can live with myself if I go through with it. The council will have to hear me out, they will have to listen to me and respect my decision because I am not willing to argue about this any longer."

"You really believe they will stop hogging you about an heir?" Tokomi wanted to know, sounding about as suspicious as Okoye had when T'Challa had called her.  
"They will, because I'm installing Shuri as my heir until I have children of my own and if that day never comes, Shuri will be a wonderful queen. It might just kill those council members, but I'll be dead then, not my problem anymore. Traditions are one thing, Toko, and I respect them, but repeatedly violating your king's deserved privacy is a whole other story. And let's be honest, Hunter is my biggest argument to let me decide in my own time how the future is going to look like...What?" He asked when Tokomi had grown so utterly still, staring at him.

"This is the first time I've heard you say his name to my face in over a decade." She whispered in explanation and T'Challa raised both eyebrows, stunned over that news.  
"Really?" He wanted clarified and Tokomi nodded, swallowing another mouthful of Tequila, T'Challa had the suspicion she had not expected for the topic to turn to presona non grada numbero uno, "Wow. I hadn't noticed."

"It's not like you bring him up often, period. Can we talk about something else now?" She pleaded and T'Challa knocked his knee against hers under the table.  
"Gladly...Will you keep Bucky busy while I'm gone? Take him into the city, do something fun? Shuri and I will join you for dinner when we're done." And once again Tokomi snapped her head up to blink at him with wide eyes, "What did I say now?"

"Shuri is coming back?" Tokomi nearly shrieked about five seconds later and down on the dancefloor, Bucky looked in their direction shortly, "Oh my god, Sam was right, nobody is telling me anything anymore." Tokomi complained and pinched his arm hard enough to have it tingle right down to his fingers.  
"Ow! Well, maybe if you put the bloody phone down for five minutes and stop listening to Wilson's voice, you might hear news earlier as well." He hit back and Tokomi got ready to claw at least two nails into his skin, but he grabbed her hand.

"Don't get Sam involved in this!" She argued and he threw his hands up on mock outrage.  
"I didn't even bring him into the conversation." He cried out and then both of them looked up when Naomi and Bucky stopped at their booth, "Did you know Shuri was coming back?" T'Challa asked Naomi who barely did more than blink before nodding, he waved a hand at Tokomi who turned her glare onto her older sister.

"How did I not know this? She's my cousin, too, you know, I haven't seen her in ages, longer than both of you." Naomi threw a quick look to T'Challa to gauge the level of serious anger in her sister, Bucky merely looked between them like a tennis match.  
"Well, in my defense, when Okoye came to tell us, you were skyping with Sam and had explicitly told me which body parts I would lose if I disturbed you. And you know, I like my body parts where they are, attached to me." Naomi defended herself, Tokomi huffed and then rushed to her feet, stepping back into her heels before gliding out of the booth.

"Bucky!" He made a small noise of having heard her, keeping both eyes fixed on Tokomi when she grabbed his hand and started pulling him away from the booth again, "We're going dancing."  
"But I was just dancing, I wanted to sit...for a moment...Toko, my feet..." He tried to excuse himself but still let himself be dragged down the stairs again, when T'Challa didn't see him looking at him for help, he reached for the Tequila again instead.

"You're a super-soldier, grow up."

"So, Shuri is coming back and the council was called in, interesting development or pure coincidence?" Naomi spoke up, both of them watching how Bucky grumbled for a little while more before Tokomi had him smiling and dancing again.  
"Don't play dumb, Naomi. You know what's going on." T'Challa answered her and then scowled when she stole his filled up shot glass.

Naomi grinned and swallowed the Tequila, not even grimacing a little bit, bloody woman, "Sure I know, Shu was sharpening her nails while we talked over the phone yesterday." T'Challa groaned and dropped his head back against the wall while Naomi beamed, "And Toko and I, we're gonna take great care of Bucky."  
"Uh-huh, sure, just keep him away from the palace, don't start a riot and don't overwhelm him." Naomi stuck her tongue out at him and they both looked down again when Bucky started spinning Tokomi around.

"You always have to ruin all my fun." Naomi pouted and T'Challa rolled his eyes, but then slid out of the booth and held out a hand to the woman looking up at him with eyebrows raised then.  
"Not always, come on, dance with me." He said and Naomi started grinning, scrambling out of the booth and grabbing his hand.

They pushed themselves through the crowd of people on the dancefloor until they reached Tokomi and Bucky, and then T'Challa spun Naomi into the music. And when, one song later, the music faded into a slow piece, T'Challa let his hand stroke over Bucky's briefly as he pulled Naomi close, she of course saw everything.  
"So, it's a little more than just something now?" She whispered in his ear and he smiled into her hair.

"Yes. Yes, it is."

\--

Bucky was laughing, stumbling a little when his foot slipped on the first step that led down to the pavement outside the club, and T'Challa was quick to grab his elbow, grinning himself. Naomi was still humming, swinging herself around the traffic light with one hand, balancing on her toes then and now, moving to music that wasn't there anymore.

Tokomi appeared at Bucky's right side, his jacket thrown around her shoulders, "You take her, I got him. Don't I, Buck-Buck?" She teased him and Bucky stuck his tongue out at her, but still pushed his arm around her shoulders.  
"You've been spending too much time with Sam." He pointed out, but both of them giggled and then snickered and laughed, T'Challa regretted to not have taken his phone.  
"Mhmm, right, Buck-Buck." Tokomi was so pleasantly wasted that everything was just downright hilarious, even drunk she was a pure joy.

"Why do I have to take Naomi?" He complained loudly, keeping both eyes on Tokomi and Bucky until they were down the stairs, which was a mistake because when he turned his head again, Naomi was gone.  
"I've done it enough times already." Tokomi yelled over her shoulder and then moved down the street with Bucky, making him laugh with something she whispered at him. T'Challa groaned and swung in the other direction, Naomi was a curious human being under normal circumstances but alcohol turned her attention span into that of a toddler, everything was so interesting.

He found her peeking through the shop-window of a jewelry store a few minutes later, fingers tapping away on the glass, still humming to herself. Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, he instead sighed and shook his head in amusement, they were at least three blocks down from where he hoped Tokomi and Bucky were walking so slow that they still had a chance to catch up.

"Come on, Mimi. Plenty of time to watch those shiny stones tomorrow, it's bedtime now," slinging an arm around her waist, he gently but determinedly steered her away from the window. Naomi whined but then followed, falling against his side.  
"But I'm not tired." The response to his words came very much belated and T'Challa smiled, squeezing her shoulder once.

"Don't you wait, the second you see that bed, you're gonna be asleep before you feel that pillow under your head." He promised her and Naomi snorted, grabbing the hand on her shoulder and spinning out from under his arm.  
"I could have danced all night." She called out, grinning and twirling back against his side, T'Challa laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her down the street.

"You've still got so many nights to..."

Both of their heads snapped up at the sound of a gun going off, immediately sobered up, immediately tensed to attack. No one screamed. The whole area seemed to have fallen into utter silence. 

And another shot rang out.

And T'Challa realized with an icy shower running down his back that the shots had come from the direction where Tokomi and Bucky should have been waiting for them.

They were running in the next second, Naomi had drawn a knife, but it was still him who came upon the scene first, faster than her, and still nowhere near prepared for what he stumbled upon. Tokomi and Bucky were both fighting against at least a dozen masked attackers, Tokomi slashing with the dagger, Bucky taking the men out way more held back, behind him two women were cowering in a house entrance.

T'Challa didn't realize that he had been staring like a frozen statue until Naomi flew past him and right upon the back of one brute, knife sliding easily along his throat while she catapulted herself from his falling body right against the chest of a next. T'Challa didn't waste any more time then and engaged the tallest of them himself, punches flying.

Still, it was Naomi and Tokomi taking the majority of the fight into their own hands, two more shots went off. One went wild, the other one Bucky caught in his hand before it could have gone even slightly into the direction of the two young women at the door.

But then, just when they could have dared to take a breath again, the cards got turned against them once more when out of the darkness even more men approached, rifles drawn. T'Challa heard Naomi hiss and could see Bucky edge closer to the terrified women still, panting just as heavily as he was himself.

"Oh brother, brother mine, why do we always have to fight when I'm in town?"

\--

to be continued

\--


	11. I'll Play My Fight Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna point out again that this story is a total Civil War AU now of course. There still was a Civil War but things ended different, I might get into some details in future chapters.

Previously:

Still, it was Naomi and Tokomi taking the majority of the fight into their own hands, two more shots went off. One went wild, the other one Bucky caught in his hand before it could have gone even slightly into the direction of the two young women at the door.

But then, just when they could have dared to take a breath again, the cards got turned against them once more when out of the darkness even more men approached, rifles drawn. T'Challa heard Naomi hiss and could see Bucky edge closer to the terrified women still, panting just as heavily as he was himself.

"Oh brother, brother mine, why do we always have to fight when I'm in town?"

\--

Bucky felt his head pound, his blood rushing through his veins and his pulse racing, adrenaline had taken over his body. Instinct had taken over. Protect. 

He snarled at two more approaching masked men, let the arm recalibrate again, using it more for the threat behind it than for actual need, and one of what was obviously mercenaries swallowed heavily. He took that one down first, punched just hard enough to knock him out, he wasn't a killer anymore, swung around in the next moment and let the metal hand break the hand holding the rifle pointing at his chest.

His opponent howled and dropped the rifle, Bucky caught it and hooked a leg around the man's leg in the next moment, he crashed down to the ground. Bucky went to knock him out as well, swinging the butt of the rifle, but a knife came before him, slicing through the air and embedding itself in the man's neck.

He snapped up his head and stared with wide eyes at Naomi bringing down a woman, whose mask had been ripped off, brunet hair a mess, choking with Naomi's thighs around her neck. He could barely recognize her, all that energy and always happy demeanor changed into fire and rage. She hissed and snarled, always moving, never standing still, hands and feet moving before her eyes had even taken in her prey. 

On any other day, Bucky would have enjoyed seeing her fight, would have loved following her moves with attentive eyes. The blood hungry look in her eyes, it was terrifying and alluring at the same time. Naomi didn't fight to take down, she fought to kill. Knives materialized from seemingly nowhere, and only Bucky's specified training helped him discover all the little details.

All the little details that would have nearly ended up in him being jumped, if Tokomi hadn't been quicker, quiet and invisible as always on her feet, taking the two women with the assault rifles out with soundless moves. It had been too long since he had been in a real fight with other human beings, voluntarily, there had been a reason he had committed to the Avengers under the condition that he never again had to seriously hurt people, good or bad.

And considering that Hammor bots, Doom's creations and magically mutated and controlled problems had been the problems of the last year, that had never been an issue.

Across the street, T'Challa was still fighting the man whose face Bucky had first seen on a most wanted picture on the internet. Hunter. T'Challa's adopted older brother. The man who had been exiled for his crimes against the Royal Family. 

"Protect them!" Tokomi yelled at him and shoved him back towards the two cowering women, she had sensed as always that he was fighting down what his instincts were telling him. Let go. Lose control. Take these people out. Take out the threat. Instead he placed himself protectively in front of the two terrified Wakandan women, and watched how Naomi and Tokomi tried to push the mercenaries away from the building, and also away from T'Challa and Hunter.

And then...

Screeching tires, three cars racing down the streets while four more came to an abrupt halt. Four more armored vehicles with the royal insignia on the side. The Dora Milaje had arrived. 

Three approached Bucky while the rest fell easily under Naomi's control, the second highest ranking member below Okoye, and Bucky could be sure that the mercenaries would not be a disturbance any longer. He waved Asha and her two sisters to the women and instead stalked closer to where T'Challa and Hunter were circling each other again, like predators, taking in the other's stance.

His heart bled and twinged when he saw the bloody lip on T'Challa's face, the torn off sleeve of his shirt, the cut on his eyebrow that promised a black eye. Hunter started spitting in Wakandian again, angry, out of control, furious, Bucky didn't like how he lashed out. Hunter snarled something that had T'Challa freeze on the spot and Tokomi stop where she had been approaching Hunter from behind.

And then everything moved too quickly again, silver flashed in the dim light of the streetlamps, Hunter went for T'Challa's leg and Bucky was moving before he could even make the decision. He roared and threw himself at Hunter, the knife went flying and Hunter actually looked surprised for a second before engaging Bucky hand to hand. T'Challa was yelling, Tokomi was yelling even louder, and Bucky felt claws scratching along his throat.

Another knife appeared in the white dressed man's hand and Bucky stopped giving a fuck about control, simple pure survival mode kicking in. He kicked out but Hunter was even faster and the knife got him in the upper arm, but the move left his left side open for a split second and Bucky lunged. Punched the metal fist right into Hunter's face.

\--

"You're panicking." Tokomi spoke quietly but for Bucky it still felt like the words were echoing off every wall, mocking him in his disorientation.   
"I'm not." He croaked out but still let the hands on his shoulders and arms pull him over to the windows so he could sit down on the bench, breath stuck in his lungs then and now, and he was only half aware just how shaking his breathing was.

His head was still spinning in circles, was still going a mile an hour trying to work through what had happened and he felt like falling out of control, on the edges of forgetting some kind of detail that was so important. He hated this moment, the post battle adrenaline loss, when your focus cleared away and your emotions crashed back in and everything felt like free fall. 

His mind was still able to play tricks on him then sometimes, was still able to sell to him that he had blanked out at times where he really hadn't. This time, the memories were so crystal clear, Naomi's scream in his ears, the slash of a knife against T'Challa's arm and then he had that man pinned beneath him. He had hurt him. He had hurt someone.

"Bucky, you are panicking, you need to breathe." Tokomi spoke again, sounding so far away, even though he was very much aware that she was standing right next to him. He didn't have any idea how long they had been at the palace already, the sun was rising outside now, everything had been a rush after the leader had gone down. Bucky remembered through a haze how T'Challa had pulled him back to his feet, checked over him and then Tokomi had been there, and it seemed like everyone was now covered in blood in his memory.

But that couldn't be. There was no blood on Tokomi now. Then there had been cars, and Bucky hadn't seen T'Challa or Naomi in hours. Tokomi had pulled him right to the medical wing along with the injured Dora Milaje warriors, but Bucky had managed to dodge the doctors since then. Fingers were snapped right in his face and that he looked up was grounded more on hated instinct than own determination then But when he saw the always neutral and strict face of Okoye hovering over him, it broke through noise in his head long enough to get a grasp on himself. He blinked, and then winced upon the pain in his chest, still able to hyperventilate without noticing.

"There we are." Okoye said and Bucky grimaced, felt the wounds on his neck twinge in protest, felt his arm throb, "You hear me, Barnes?" He nodded feebly, feeling horribly exposed, half caught in a panic attack while these warriors were worrying about their sisters, "Good, now you just focus on your head. You're safe, no one will hurt you here." A nurse shuffled up behind her again and Bucky felt himself tense up so bad that Tokomi brought a hand up to his neck to ground him back down.

Seventh attempt then.

"I think we're good here." Okoye turned to the woman in the white clothes, with the bandages and the needles, needles, needles.

Another set of fingers got snapped into his face.

"No reason to follow protocol here, Afiya. I think we'll let the super-soldier heal on his own." Okoye solved the situation once and for all and the nurse shuffled off again, and with a simple hand gesture the Dora Milaje closest to Bucky gave him some more space and turned around. No more eyes on him that he didn't know.   
"T'Challa is not gonna like that." Tokomi pointed out quietly but Okoye snorted, and Bucky once again admired her, how she had only the highest respect for her king, but also didn't take any of his bullshit.

How she gave him her full loyalty without stopping to be his friend. A fierce defender of his decisions, who could also laugh at his mishaps.

"T'Challa can complain about him not getting treated when he lets the nurses look at his own wounds. If he can play the healing card, so can Barnes. Now, I need to go, got a king to talk out of his rage induced interrogation binge. You keep an eye on him, Tokomi." She must have nodded because Okoye swept away. Bucky wondered if she was annoyed that this had ripped her out of her sleep.

"Bucky? Do you need anything?"

"I hurt him. I hurt his brother." He whispered, drawing his legs up, knees to his chest, feet onto the edge of the seat, his chest was burning, Tokomi though snorted, grabbed his hand and squeezed it between her own, Bucky turned to look at her, wide blue eyes, feeling helpless. He had hurt the king's brother because he had seen red, bad history or not, that couldn't be good. He had hurt someone, he had sworn to never hurt someone again.

"Bucky, easy, it's okay. No one in this palace, fuck, no one in this country will punish you for hurting the son of a bitch. Trust me, take it from me who is very much loyal to her own family, Hunter deserves what came for him. And you acted in self defense, you went to protect T'Challa and Hunter turned on you." Tokomi smiled, but it looked and felt strained, she looked shaken and Bucky felt the protector roar back to life inside of him, metal hand reaching out to cover her smaller ones around his other hand, but a door got slammed open.

Half the corridor jumped up and into parade rest when the loud clicking sounds of heels echoed from the walls, and Bucky struggled to follow up, but Tokomi slapped a hand against his thigh and pushed him back down again, “You focus on breathing.”  
The clicking got louder and more people straightened up until only Tokomi and him were left without accurate form, him still slumped against the windows, knees pulled up against his chest.

But he still had a very good view of how the Dora Milaje swung to the side on one end to make room for the woman in the dark red dress. 

Eyes like fire, hair like coal.

“Where is my brother?”

At least ten people started talking at the same time, over each other and against each other and then immediately went silent again when the woman snapped up a hand, black nails shining in the flourescent light. The entire corridor was deadly quiet for a short moment and Bucky was extremely aware of his shallow breathing suddenly.

Whiskey gold eyes turned to look down at him, and the closed off face of the young woman got broken into a smile, red lips curling up as she walked closer. Bucky really couldn’t decide between wanting to jump up and bow his head or flinch away and make himself even smaller, his instincts were scrambling over each other.  
“T’Challa is interrogating the men Naomi left alive.” Tokomi said without looking when the woman stopped beside her, “Welcome home, Shuri.”

Wakanda’s Princess chuckled, leaning down next to Tokomi and reaching out to stroke a hand through Bucky’s bloody hair, he could only stare, completely frozen.  
“Yeah, no better welcoming present than my brothers beating each other bloody and my cousins turning the main street into a bloodbath. I feel so appreciated.” Her beautiful voice quipped.  
“Red is your favourite color.” Tokomi went into the defense, her lips curling into a real grin, the woman raised an eyebrow at her, her fingers still in Bucky's hair, and the gesture was so soothing that his muscles unlocked again.

“Could have used a carpet, didn’t need to color the street in it.” She deadpanned at her younger cousin and then pulled back again, Bucky knew he was still starring at her. 

\--

A few minutes later, Bucky had started to relax enough that he could uncurl his body again, Tokomi and Shuri had picked up a conversation over what he suspected was the fight that had happened. He was grateful they were leading it in their native tongue though, he really was trying not to think again of what had happened, let their voices be comfort for now.

Then the door slammed open once more and a very familiar voice snapped "Out!"

"Everyone not directly related to me or being my guest, get out!" T'Challa had barely finished before the Dora Milaje guided everyone out of the room that wasn't included in that list, and when the doors fell shut with a loud thud, he crossed over to them with long strides. Kneeling down in front of Bucky in one fluent motion, he was cupping his face on both sides in the next second, "You okay?" Bucky reached up and curled his hands around the other man's wrist, holding on tight.

"Getting there." He provided quietly and T'Challa stroked both thumbs gently over his cheekbones, before turning to his sister.  
"Hey." He said and Shuri raised a questioning eyebrow, "The original plan was to welcome you back with breakfast, if you can believe that," he offered up and Shuri snorted, leaning down to kiss his cheek without T'Challa having to let go of Bucky.

"Well, breakfast, bloodbath, business as usual, hm? Who cares about what order they come in. Where is the spitfire?" Shuri switched into their language with her last question and T'Challa smiled at Bucky, moved one hand down to his neck to gently and carefully look over the marks Hunter had left behind. Something in his chest roared up, ugly and jealous and hot.

"On watch duty." He answered his sister before he could hve gotten lost in his head, Bucky leaned his head back against the window and closed his eyes, his pulse was still too quick to call it really resting. Fuck, call that a ruined good night.  
"For whom?" Shuri prodded deeper and T'Challa sent a glare her way, he was too tired by now for her endless patience. 

"Well, what do you think?" He replied and Shuri sent that one meaningful look to Tokomi that never promised anything good for him. But considering the topic and reason this time, he somehow had the feeling, he would have their youngest cousin on his side this time. And as expected, Tokomi crossed her arms over her chest and pointedly looked away from Shuri. She huffed and zeroed back in on T'Challa, who squeezed Bucky's shoulder before standing up again.

"Have you tried talking to him?" Shuri asked as if that had ever been an option or even an idea in his head, as if he wanted to. That boat had sailed. Years ago.  
"I've got nothing left to say to him." He made clear, but Shuri was already grabbing his arm, smiling at Bucky and Tokomi.  
"Funny, because I do." She decided and then put up her hand again when he dared to open his mouth for a protest, he inclined his head towards Bucky, "You're coming with me. Tokomi can stay with him."

\--

“Well, look at this, almost the whole merry family united again. Could have imagined another setting, but you don’t always get what you want. Isn’t that right, brother?”

T’Challa remained completely silent in response and walked further down the corridor, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, only close enough to still be able to see a glimpse of the man in the cell. Shuri placed herself right in front of the glass, perfectly calm and composed, eyes staring coldly ahead at the man sitting cross-legged on the bench.

“You got nothing to say, T’Challa? How typical.” The voice they hadn't heard in over three years sneered in the end, lips curling into a smirk despite the deep cut on one of them. The whole left side of his face was green, blue and black with the intense bruising. Bucky had done him a solid one, T'Challa felt a little too proud about that probably.

The door at the end of the corridor opened again and their prisoner’s smirk grew in size when Naomi came in first, placing herself right next to Shuri with the same unimpressed look on her face. Tokomi didn’t spare a single look into the cell and instead walked at a brisk pace over to T’Challa, leaning in to whisper something to him before looking up at him. When he nodded, she whirled around again and went back where she had come from.

“What? Not even a look for your old cousin? No hello? But you were almost my favourite, little Toko.”

“I don’t talk to dead people.”, Tokomi snarled and then slammed the door shut behind her again.

"Don't talk to her!" Naomi cut out, eyes piercing through the glass as if she was wishing her nails could do so, T'Challa wondered how much she was longing to let that right side of Hunter's face match the left, "Don't even look at her, don't breathe the same air as her, and don't for a second even dare to think that..."

"Naomi." A simple whisper of her name had her immediately silent and T'Challa was grateful that Shuri had stopped her before Naomi could have really worked herself up. She belonged in a bed, rest for a day after that punch to the spine, but he knew better than to propose that.  
"Dear little sister." Hunter continued his little act as if no one had interrupted him, "My darling little sister, returned from wherever she had been hiding out."

"You can't rile me up, Hunter. You never could, and you would be wise to remember that." Shuri started, she had the patience of a saint and a calm that T'Challa had never been able to achieve.  
"What are you down here for then? Mock me while I'm down? Kick a fallen man even more?" Hunter called out to her and T'Challa could see out of the corner of his eyes how Naomi's fingers twitched.  
"Don't try to call for sympathy where there is none to be found." Shuri replied cold and hard, "We're here to give you a chance to make this easy, to explain."

Hunter laughed. Loud and cocky.

"You'll have to torture me before I talk. But considering that that won't happen, I'll just sit here and wait until you have to let me go again. You've got nothing on me but trespassing, little sister. My crimes have expired." He pointed out and smiled smiled.  
"You led a group of mercenaries into our country, let them hurt people. You hurt our king and his guest." At her last word, Hunter's eyes lightened up and he looked over to where T'Challa was watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Ah, yes, his guest. The Winter Soldier..."

"His name is Bucky Barnes. And I'm actually looking forward to that conversation over the phone, might spare us a lot of effort if we just let the Avengers come for your ass. I heard they don't take it lightly if one of their own gets hurt." Naomi snarled, but Shuri had her silent again with a simple hand gesture, Hunter snorted, leaning back on the bench until his propped up hands were taking most of his weight.  
"You won't do that. I'm still Wakandan, you'll never let an outsider be the judge of my crimes. You're too proud for that." He was reeking of false confidence, his face pulled into that dangerous smirk.

"Let's just make one thing crystal clear, Hunter. If you die tonight, I'll feel nothing.", Shuri cut out even changing her voice out of the cold deadpan, "And if you die tomorrow, I'll feel even less. You had so many chances to show that you cared about this family, our family, but you didn't. I gave you a chance once, Hunter, to make right what you have done to us. To Tokomi most of all." She stepped away from the glass again, Hunter's eyes were still on her, "You took that chance and shot Okoye. You helped Klaue escape the trial he deserved."

"And I'm still alive." Hunter pointed out but he had become visibly less on edge, his voice losing that cocky and overly confident snark, the persona in him that T'Challa hated most of all. Shuri dusted a hand over her dress and then looked back at Hunter's eyes.  
"Because of him." She said and briefly pointed a finger into T'Challa's direction, who looked up, let his eyes flicker from her to Hunter, now looking straight at him, "I don't care what kind of fantasies you conjured up in that thick head of yours. You're alive because of him, your brother. Not because of father, not because of me, and certainly not because of Naomi. We wanted you dead, father wanted a trial, but every single person in this room knows what the sentence is for shooting the Dora Milaje's Captain and helping the most wanted criminal of the country escape. Excluding your complicity in what was done to the king's niece."

Shuri went on but Hunter didn't look away from T'Challa now, and T'Challa hated himself for being unable to look away as well, "He saved you. He talked us out of chasing you down, he let you go, and here you are, years later, still walking all over his life without a care in the world for how much you are hurting him...I'm done here, I can't look at you anymore. There will be a trial, try and think of something to say there." She finished what she had wanted to say and then walked out of the room, taking Naomi with her.

There was a silence for a moment then, and T'Challa broke it by pushing himself away from the wall. Hunter speaking up again had him stop right by the glass wall, without taking his eyes off the door at the end of the corridor.

"Is there anything I can say right now that will make you stay?"

"No."

Outside, once the door was closed and locked, T'Challa closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to reign in the storm of emotions still fighting inside of him.  
"If you want to go home, brother, I..." but he didn't let his sister finish her offer, he knew what she had wanted to say, so he shook his head.

"It's not about what I want, it's about what is right. I'm the king, someone attacked people of my country, of my family, a wanted man came into my country unseen and untraced, with a group of heavily armed mercenaries. I have to look into this, Shuri, no matter how damn tired I am, or how much I am burning to know how Tokomi and Bucky are doing. Or even want to take a breath myself." He clarified for her and Shuri walked close enough until she could kiss his cheek.  
"At least let me help you." She offered and he nodded, grateful, but when Naomi opened her mouth to speak as well, he shook his head again.

"No, you lay down. Get rest, you're in pain. Make sure at least one person in this family won't feel like utter crap tomorrow. Join Toko and Bucky, get some sleep."

\--

A little earlier

\--

Bucky was more than just grateful when Tokomi proposed to take him up to the house, he wanted nothing more than a place he knew to get his head back on track. The palace had too many unknown faces, too much wide space. It made Bucky uncomfortable without T'Challa at his side, so when he stepped back into the quiet familiar walls of the house up on the cliff, he felt himself relax for good again.

Tokomi shuffled in behind him, closed the door and then walked over to the windows to pull open the curtains, letting in the morning sun.  
"Okoye has the place watched, doubled the security. No one gets in or out without T'Challa knowing." She explained quietly, more withdrawn than Bucky had ever seen her. Quiet, looking so much smaller than she already was.

"You okay, Tokomi?" He wanted to know and she turned around to smile at him, tired, worn out.  
"Not really, but I don't want talk right now. Are you hungry? I could do with some lunch." She said and was already walking into the kitchen before Bucky could have answered. He could detect the evasive tactics, and as much as it worried him coming from her, he still followed her silently and kept from asking more questions. His head was killing him by now, he could understand the wish to let it sink in a little.

Especially because whatever the hell had happened last night had to hit her way deeper than it had surprised and unsettled Bucky.

So he sat down and watched Tokomi cook, muttering constantly under her breath when she couldn't find something in T'Challa's order. It was strangely soothing and Bucky felt the adrenaline high kick off entirely, having him close to just fall asleep by the time Tokomi set the plate down in front of him.

They ate in more silence, Tokomi just as sleepily blinking at her plate as he was watching her, and when they were finished, they sat down on the couch, side by side like some awkward teenagers on their first sleepover. Bucky rolled his eyes and shifted around until he was leaning back against the left side, offering up a hand in a simple all understanding gesture. Tokomi didn't need long to figure out what he was proposing and simply let herself fall against his side. 

Tokomi began to talk not five minutes later.

Sometime around two they fell asleep, with him holding her on the couch. 

And Bucky didn't wake back up until another weight made himself comfortable on his legs, but long black hair and a bright pink shirt gave Naomi away quickly, and he relaxed back into dreamland.

He was safe. Things would be okay.

\--

When T'Challa stepped back into his house in the early hours of the evening, still wearing the same bloodied and torn clothes from the club. He felt tired, so bone deep exhausted as he hadn't in such a long time.

"Hey."

T'Challa looked up and caught sight of Bucky leaning against the wall at the corner of the corridor that would lead to the bedroom with its wonderful big comfortable bed. Kicking off his shoes, he really didn't care where they landed and grunted in greeting.

"You okay?" Bucky asked, quietly, reaching out a hand towards him but T'Challa frowned down at his feet when they refused to start walking again, "Chall?"  
"Yeah, I'm not okay." He admitted and Bucky pushed himself off the wall, crossed over to him until he stood right in front of him, hands reaching up to curl around his head on both sides. Fingers slipping into sweaty hair and scratching gently.

The cuts on his neck were only pink lines by now, and T'Challa had no doubt that the stab wound in his arm had healed at the same rate already.  
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Bucky wanted to know quietly and with the warmth of his fingers seeping under his skin, T'Challa felt his body give up on the post-fight adrenaline and into the headache. That one special exhausted headache with a giant glowing sticker that held Hunter's name on it.

"I honestly think I'm done talking for today." He confessed and Bucky smiled, leaning up to kiss him, brief and sweet.  
"Come on, shower is calling our name." He let Bucky lead, blindly followed along, vaguely wondered where Tokomi was and if she was okay, but too tired to have the energy left to ask. Bucky wouldn't have left her suffering in some dark corner.

They undressed, slipped under the hot spray of water and T'Challa closed his eyes when Bucky drew him back against his chest, relaxed into his hands. They didn't talk, Bucky let actions speak, most of all his hands and lips and T'Challa erased the day from his head as much as his conscience let him and hoped his non-verbal reactions were good enough to answer questions.

Later when he was lying in bed, face smushed into his favourite pillow and Bucky straddling his thighs while working the knots out of his back, they did some talking again, even though T'Challa kept his replys quite simple to not lose the state of blissed out drowsiness. Bucky told him what Tokomi had told him, and T'Challa was surprised and then not again, he had seen how much Tokomi trusted Bucky and knew how much Bucky cared for her.

"She's sleeping now, in the guest room, Naomi basically passed out there after coming back. I hope that's okay, neither of them did exactly look excited about the idea of going back to their apartment in the palace." Bucky stopped and T'Challa could just picture him biting his lip, so he reached out and patted the bare knee he could find, "Listen, Chall, I never want to say I understand, because I don't. Your world is...crazy, crazier even sometimes than what I've gotten used to back in the tower. All these politcs and traditions, I will never pretend I can even begin to understand what you have to deal with, and you have my greatest respect for keeping your head in all of this. I know that Hunter is a sore spot and I'm sorry for getting involved, I just couldn't..." Bucky took a deep breath and T'Challa managed to squeeze his knee, "What I want to say is, I'm happy on the outside, happy to not get mixed up and give you that escape, but it still doesn't mean you have to do it all alone, shoulder this burden alone. Let me help, okay? In any way I can."

"I love you, and yes, I know." T'Challa answered him and then had him squeak as he rolled over back on his side and nearly send Bucky flying off the bed. He crawled closer again, his hair more of a mess than it had been when they had left the shower. "Tomorrow, we'll talk then. Shuri will come for breakfast, this whole disaster will come up. I won't keep things from you, never. Just because you don't want and can't get involved in it, doesn't mean I'll shelter you from it. But now? I really want you and at some point sleep."

Bucky nodded, then grinned and kissed him, and when he snuck down a hand, fingers tracing along T'Challa's right thigh, Hunter and his continued trys to complicate his life were really the last thing on his mind.

\--


	12. Got Me Looking So Crazy In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm is over for now, and love is back on the agenda

T'Challa loved lazy mornings, where his body could decide all on its own just when it was time to wake up, and even more so when it was time to actually stand up. Sighing peacefully, he tightened his arms around the body wrapped almost all around him,smiling with his eyes still closed when Bucky pressed closer still.

"Good Morning." T'Challa whispered and breathed a kiss against Bucky's temple, who scrunched up his nose and grumbled sleepily, preferring to nuzzle at his neck for a second before becoming a dead weight again. And T'Challa let himself get drowsy as well again, it felt good, so good to wake up like this after the mess that had been yesterday.

He knew of course they would have to talk, figure out a strategy and a plan on how to deal with this, because even though this was in the hands of the justice system now, they would sooner or later call upon their king for a statement. But until then he could enjoy the peace again, comforted for now in the knowledge that Hunter was behind bars and glass, with no way of escaping or running again.

A breeze brought the smell of fresh coffee into the bedroom, Bucky stirred not a split second later, while T'Challa was still trying to guess what woman had gotten up first. Tokomi was usually the first one up, still not a morning person but way less grumpy than the other two, but after what had happened he wasn't so sure. He ruled out Naomi, anger or not, the day she was the first one up was going to be the beginning of the end of the world.

So that left his sister.

"I smell coffee." Bucky announced himself awake and T'Challa chuckled, letting his fingers slip under Bucky's shirt to stroke over soft skin, "Did you get up and make coffee?" These moments he really loved the most, waking up next to Bucky and being witness to the adorable confusion right after waking up. The bleary eyed first looks, the soft little smiles upon seeing his face, the quiet little breathy noises when he cuddled closer for just five more minutes.  
"Staid right here with you. I'll put my money on my sister." Blue eyes blinked open once and Bucky rolled off of him just enough to mush his face into the pillow, "You awake?"

"No." Bucky disagreed and T'Challa grinned, rolling to his side and half on top of Bucky he began to kiss a path down the other man's neck, over to his shoulder, "Okay, changing that to a maybe." T'Challa hummed and slipped down, pushing the back of Bucky's shirt, "Alright, yes, I'm awake, I'm awake."  
"That's good to hear." T'Challa mumbled against Bucky's back, hands coming to rest on his hips, "How about you turn around so I can see that this gorgeous man inside my bed is truly awake?"

"You're so corny, it's already perfect again." Bucky chuckled and then turned around, smiling up at him, "Good Morning, beautiful."  
"Good Morning, darling." T'Challa sent right back to him and then leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. A kiss that quickly got deepened when Bucky moaned in pure pleasure and delight and pulled him all the way down on himself.

\--

They walked into the kitchen together, hands clasped together and T'Challa only walking ahead because Bucky was still trying to wake his head up. At the kitchen counter, Shuri was humming to herself at the coffee machine and Bucky was suddenly gripped by nerves again, feeling very aware of his unruly hair that had been neat before T'Challa had ruffled through it again two minutes ago.

Shuri was pure greatness, everything T'Challa had ever told him about his sister had only added to that and she was so beautiful and graceful and elegant and Bucky had looked like a complete loser yesterday. As if reading his thoughts, T'Challa didn't give him time to fall down that mental path again as he pulled him forward, tugging until Bucky was standing in front of him. He wrapped both arms around Bucky's waist, holding him against his chest and propped his chin up on Bucky's left shoulder, "Morning, Shuri."

"Good Morning, dearest brother." Shuri answered and turned around, smile on her face, holding a mug of coffee in her hands as she walked over to them, "I hope you slept well." She directed at Bucky then who nodded, feeling tongue tight, "That's very good to hear. Naomi said sugar and cream?" And then the mug got pressed into his hands and Bucky still couldn't stop staring at the woman in front of him, "It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you, Bucky, I've heard the most wonderful things about."

"I'm...I've heard even greater things about you." Bucky stuttered out and T'Challa chuckled against his shoulder, Shuri smiled.  
"Oh, you are as sweet as the girls told me. There is a mail on my tablet for you, brother and I'm hungry." She announced then and T'Challa snorted, letting go of Bucky to walk over to the kitchen counter.

"Wow, I see why you still keep me around." He grumbled, picking up the tablet, Bucky used the moment where Shuri turned around to look at her brother to take two steps back towards the wall and take a good sip of the coffee. She got it right like he loved it most. Shuri was quickly back in front of him though in the next second, while he was still blissfully distracted by the taste of coffee in his mouth.

“Oh look at him.” Shuri gushed and Bucky visibly reigned himself in from crowding away from her when she leaned closer, smiling so bright, her hands cupping his face for a moment before poking at his hair, “He is so adorable. How could you fight this cute little muffin?” She cooed and Bucky swallowed.

“In my defense,” T’Challa began without looking up from the tablet in his hands, “He wasn’t really adorable back then.” He explained and then made the mistake to look up after all, regretting his words when wide blue puppy eyes zeroed in on him, “Oh, alright, adorable yes, but not…muffin like. You tried to punch me.” He protested and Bucky scoffed.

“Excuse me? You were hunting me, you ripped me off a moving bike, you ruined my favourite jacket.” He complained, set the mug on the sideboard next to him and crossed his arms over his chest once Shuri had taken a step back. T’Challa chuckled and set the tablet back down on the counter, stalking over to them and leaning down to kiss Bucky for a few seconds before smirking at him.

“I’m a chaser. Don’t run from me, makes me all excited.” he drawled and next to them Shuri gagged, T'Challa smirked and kissed Bucky again.  
“Wow, get a room.” She whined and T’Challa playfully shoved her away so he could crowd Bucky better against the wall.

“You’re in my house, you find a room.”

"And miss watching you make Bucky blush so prettily? Yeah no!" Naomi announced as she stepped into the living room, Tokomi on her heels, looking way less well-rested than her sister. Bucky saw T'Challa frowning and back away immediately, "Can we eat and then talk? Because I'm hungry as well."

T'Challa groaned.

\--

After breakfast, after having convinced Tokomi and Naomi to do the dishes without complaining too much about it, they sat down to talk. The four of them around the dinner table, while Bucky retreated into the living room, stuck in his earphones and pulled open one of the three books he had brought from New York.

Unsurprisingly it was Naomi who broke the silence first, she had always despised it, even before she had been able to talk, she had never been silent.  
"So, what are we doing now?" She wanted to know, expectant eyes looking from one face to the next, T'Challa didn't like how Tokomi didn't meet hers though and instead chose to watch the clock tick by on the wall.

Oh, please no, don't let them be fighting, he thought in the privacy of his own mind before he adressed his the older one of his cousins.  
"We will do nothing. The council will formulate a prosecution, I will read said prosecution and if I agree with its terms, I will sign it, and then it lays in the hands of the judges and the justice system to decide if Hunter is guilty of what he is accused or not. This is not ours to decide, Naomi." He reminded her, maybe a little too stern but judging by the way she set her jaw, stubborness was loud today.

"Why should let them decide? Don't you think it's past that? After everything he has done to us? Uncle exiled him, Hunter was banished. He was stripped off all his privileges and he still never stops. He always comes back, he always finds a way inside and I'm sick of it." Naomi snapped, temper flaring up, just like he had hoped it wouldn't.

"He'll be spending a long time in prison, Mimi." Shuri tried to intervene but Naomi's eyes flashed over to her.  
"He got out the last time, we still don't know how, what's keeping him from getting out again? Who knows what kind of support he has within our borders still." Naomi argued and Shuri leaned closer to her.

"Then we will find out who supports him and execute a trial for them as well. We will respect the law in this, I know what you want, but it's not going to happen." She told her, calm, but Naomi only huffed, crossed her arms over her chest and looked at T'Challa as if he was to blame for her bad mood, he stared right back at her until she huffed again and turned to glared at the table.

"He deserves to die, that's all I have to say." 

"He doesn't." And all three of them looked up in surprise when Tokomi spoke up, quietly, clearly tired, "I don't want him here, in this city, in this country. I don't, okay, Naomi? That is what agree upon with you, but I don't want him to die."  
"He already is dead to you, what difference would it make?" Naomi flared up, her hands slamming down on the top of the table, palms first, across from her, Tokomi narrowed her eyes, "After what he did to you, don't you want just a little bit of revenge?"

T'Challa threw a look over to Shuri, pleading her to let him be the one to break this off again. 

"It's been sixteen years, Naomi!" Tokomi raised her voice as well then, "Sixteen years and I never for even a second wanted revenge. All I want is to forget, to move on! To let it rest where it should, in the past! Why can't people give me peace over this!" She started to yell in the end and then pushed herself away from the table, getting to her feet and pointing a finger down at her sister, "I know that you're angry, but it wasn't you who was taken from her family. You were not the child that had to sit for days in that basement. Alone and afraid. It was me!!" She snapped her hand back when it started to shake, but in the same breath sent a cutting glare in T'Challa's direction when he made to push his chair back to stand up as well.

"I was the one having been kidnapped. I was the bait to lure the king into negotiations with the rebels. Hunter sold out me, and not any of you! I don't want pity or someone telling me what I should feel. All I want is for this to be over." She finished her tirade and T'Challa ignored the glare this time and got to his feet, walked over to her and pulled her against his chest, "I don't want Hunter to die, death means salvation, death means he gets freedom. I want him to suffer." Tokomi continued more quietly, "I want him to suffer in the pain that he caused his own family, his own cousin. I want him to one day wake up and realize that everyone he once cared about is lost to him forever, that he will never have a place in this family again."

A chair was pulled over the ground next, and then it crashed over when Naomi stormed from the room, so much for discussing their next steps. 

"Let her go." T'Challa held Tokomi back when she went to go after her sister, "You know it's better to let her calm down now. She is angry, you know how much she hates Hunter, let her blow off some steam, it'll be okay. Are you okay?" He wanted to know then and Tokomi nodded, then shook her head, and then nodded again.  
"I just need some sleep, a day of doing nothing." She said and managed a small smile, he leaned down and kissed her forehead once, "I'll drive back to the apartment, throw myself on the couch and not move until tonight. See you tomorrow!" She hugged him again, waved goodbye to Shuri and then grabbed her keys and shoes and left as well.

"That went great, remind me to keep them out of discussions about Hunter in the future." Shuri spoke up when they were alone again, "Alright, so shall we move on to discuss the other topic and leave Hunter be? Because I postponed the council meeting, but we still need to prepare." She pointed out to him and T'Challa nodded, sitting down again, "Good, now you see..."

\--

After Shuri had left for the palace, and the house was utterly silent again, T'Challa let work be work and walked outside onto the patio where Bucky had withdrawn himself to once the fighting had started between Naomi and Tokomi. He found him on the edge of the pool now, dozing in the shadow the house threw over the grass at this time of day, headphones on.

T'Challa smiled and walked over to him, settling himself down on the blanket Bucky must have pulled out earlier, fingers gently dancing up the exposed metal arm. He had come a long way, especially in the last week, was barely using sleeves anymore in the house and garden, no care in the world if even Naomi, Tokomi or today Shuri saw the arm.

T'Challa was proud and happy about what it meant, that Bucky felt comfortable and most of all safe around his family.

When his fingers slipped under the shirt on his shoulder, Bucky gave one of those little breathy noises that T'Challa really couldn't get enough of. Bucky opened his eyes in the next moment and smiled up at him, pulled the headphones off and shut off his iPod.  
"Did Shuri leave?" He wanted to know and T'Challa nodded, reaching out a hand to trace over Bucky's lips, smirking when a tongue flickered out to lick at his fingertips.

"Yeah, she did. We're alone." He teased and Bucky looked satisfied, and then T'Challa blew out a surprised breath when he found himself tackled and pushed upon his back. Bucky straddled his hips and ground down without any warning, having him hiss and his body keening up to crash his lips to Bucky's. His hands moved to grab Bucky's ass, firmly pushing him along into the movements of their bodies, fingers twisting into the back of Bucky's pants. 

Grinding up, grinding down.

They quickly lost interest in their surroundings and melted against each other, Bucky held upon his shoulders, threw his head back as the pleasure rolled over him. T'Challa bit and sucked at his neck, both of them breathing heavy and hard. Bucky rolled his head forward again, hands starting to tug and pull at T'Challa's shirt until he stopped marking him for a moment and leaned back to pull off his shirt, nudging Bucky to follow right after him.

They kissed, moaned and groaned, hands fumbling down for belts, buttons and zippers. Legs, hands and feet pushing off pants.

T'Challa kept his eyes on Bucky's face as they came together again, focused on the thin ring of heavenly blue on those blown wide eyes, on the way he bit his lips. Focused on the flood of pure love filling his veins when Bucky didn't look away from him as well, mouth falling open.

\--

"Wow." 

T'Challa laughed out loud upon that declaration from the man half passed out on the blanket next to him and he turned his head to look at Bucky blinking lazily at him.

"That was something." He agreed and mirrored the blissed out grin that got sent his way, "Something I really needed." Bucky rolled upon his side, concern marring his beautiful face and he let a hand trace along T'Challa's cheek. Traced his face until he cupped it in one gentle palm and leaned down to kiss him tenderly once, before looking at him.  
"I'm sorry. I don't know if my being here has any part in what happened, in what Hunter..." But T'Challa didn't let him finish, didn't let Bucky get anywhere closer to the guilt.

"You are not the man causing trouble in my country. You are not the man who knows our sacred traditions and rules, and still chooses to wreck havoc on my kingdom. Hunter had and has broken the law, and he will answer for it. He will stand trial for his crimes." T'Challa explained, moving up a hand to cup Bucky's face in a mirrored gesture to how Bucky was still holding him.  
"I'm...I'm surprised on how well you are dealing with this...He hurt you, so many times, and you still believe that there is good in him. You don't let the rage that is in Naomi and your sister, and even in Tokomi consume you. How do you do it?" Bucky wanted to know, honest curiosity in his voice and T'Challa sighed.

"He is a criminal, and yes, he deserves to never see the light of day again for what he did, but he is still my brother. And he was a good brother once, we were friends, I can't forget that." He answered and tried his best to explain, "He deserves a punishment, he doesn't deserve to die."  
"Naomi and Shuri seem to see that different." Bucky pointed out and T'Challa twisted his face into a little grimace, Bucky's fingers tried to smoothe it away again.

"They never got to know him like I did, they don't remember him like I do. The person I remember, the man that still has to be somewhere inside of him, he deserved a chance for redemption. But it is neither my position to decide, nor does it lay in the hands of Naomi or Shuri. Judges will decide, and I as king will accept and respect what they will agree upon." T'Challa put an end to the discussion, he could see that Bucky didn't exactly believe that that was all to it, but also didn't want to pull open old wounds, "He is my brother, Bucky. I would do everything for my family, all of them, but believe me, even my patience has an end. If he hurts a part of my family one more time, he will get to see a new side of me."

"I hope it doesn't come to that." Bucky told him and they moved around until T'Challa was resting with his head on Bucky's chest, "I really hope for you that it never comes to that."  
"I hope so, too. Now," T'Challa grinned and propped himself up with one hand, "Do you think you're ready for cooking lesson number one?" Bucky grinned back at him and raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Do you think your kitchen is?"

\--

Naomi chose to let her dramatic exit continue as she took her car out of the city limits and then sped down the main highway at the edge of the speed limit. Let the roaring of the engine be voice of her frustations, and the blaring music be the anthem of her anger. 

She understood of course. Of course she did, didn't mean she had to agree. Didn't mean she had to be okay with Hunter getting to rot in prison without anyone getting any revenge in. He let her sister be taken, he had hurt all of them, kept on hurting T'Challa just because of his petty jealousy. 

Her car sped on while her glare first relaxed into a glower and then into a just tired face, and by the time she took the exit down into the small town about two hours out of the capital, most of her temper had cooled down again. She slowed the car and took the side street, driving up to the estate at the end of the dead-end street on the outskirts of the town.

The mountains rose before her as she stopped the car on the side of the driveway, business at one of Wakanda's most successful Vibranium mines was hectic as always and barely anyone spared her even a glance while she walked up to the main building. 

Efia was waiting for her on the porch, arms outstretched and Naomi let herself fall against her, welcomed the kiss warm lips pressed against her temple.  
"I saw your message an hour ago only, I'm sorry. Dad needed me for inspection of the new mineshaft. I can run us a bath, if you want?" Efia offered and Naomi sighed against her shoulder, pulling back then, but only far enough so that she could cup her girlfriend's face on both sides and give her a deep and long kiss.

"I missed you, and a bath sounds wonderful." Efia just smiled and led her inside.

\--

Tokomi went back to the palace shortly before lunch time, evaded all kind of contact to staff or other members of the Dora Milaje and only dared to take a deep breath once she was safely behind the closed doors of the apartment she shared with her sister. Though she really hoped Naomi wouldn't turn up anytime soon, at least not until her frustration had blown over.

Feeling more glum than ever, she kicked off her shoes and let herself fall upon the couch, reaching for her laptop. Her original plan on the drive over had been to watch some shows or read something, but now where her laptop came to life, she eyed that skype icon way more interest than the collection of shows in the folder in the corner.

Maybe he had time. She could certainly need him right now.

Sam wasn't online when she logged on, but her text message had him calling her online within two minutes. His face materialized with a concerned frown and Tokomi didn't even try to fake a smile.  
"What's wrong?" He asked immediately and she let her body slump back into the pillows, deciding for the truth and the truth only as she started to tell him about yesterday and the fight with Naomi earlier.

She gave up on holding back and let the tears fall once she was done, unable to keep her emotions under control anymore. She was just so strung tight, everything inside of her was so on edge but empty at the same time, Sam noticed it right away of course and his face fell, concern turning into real worry and he leaned closer to the screen, the desperation to be able to reach out for real so visible in his eyes. And the reminder that he couldn't shuddered down her spine like an ice cold shower, and the sobs stuck in her chest broke free as well.

"Toko..." Her nickname left his lips in barely a whisper and she wiped a hand over her face, blinking at the screen of her laptop through the waterfalls.  
"I'm so sorry, Sam, I just can't..." She tried to apologize but words left her, and she curled in tighter into herself, the need to have someone here with her, it was burning by now.  
"Hey, hey..." Sam took over immediately, "Hey, look at me, my beauty. It's all gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay, sometimes we need to cry, that's completely fine. Did it all the time after I lost Riley, and then again after the war was over, ask Bucky on that one. Doesn't mean you're not strong, you'll still kick my ass all way to Sunday, still gonna show me the ropes without even breaking a sweat."

She smiled through the tears, and Sam grinned, like he always did when she smiled or laughed, "Thank you." She said and wiped a hand over her face again, "I think I really needed that. I wish I had you around more often, it can get to be too much so easily nowadays."  
"You need a vacation, get some peace and quiet." Sam proposed and Tokomi sighed, leaning back against the couch, didn't she know that, didn't she wish for that as well.  
"I want to, trust me, but I wouldn't even know where to go." She told him, using her sleeve this time to wipe over her face some more.

"Come to New York?" Sam threw into the open, leaning back and Tokomi got distracted for a moment when his shirt pulled tight across his chest, "Spend some days here at the tower, I'll show you Manhattan and Harlem. You get to join me on my frequent attempts to hide from the husbands-to-be on their desperate search for someone to negotiate." She laughed at the face he pulled, but already shook her head.

"I know what you're doing, Sam, and I appreciate it but I can't leave right now. As much as I'd like to run away until Hunter is behind bars for good, I can't leave my family." She explained and he smiled, understanding as always. She knew how much he loved his family, the blood one and the crazy one you got when you became part of the Avengers. That was one of the things they had in common, the love for the people they called family and the willingness to go all the way for them.

"I get it, but I'm here, please remember that. You can call every time, I'll pick up, unless I'm out being all glorious and avenging, but I can have Friday put you through even then." He winked at her and then threw his head back, looking up at the ceiling, Tokomi felt the reminder that he didn't need to do that with the AI die on the tip of her tongue. It just too adorable every time she got to witness it, "Friday, my girl, will you add the beautiful Tokomi to the list of people whose calls will go through to my comms?"

"Certainly, Sam. I will add Lady Tokomi's name right next to your mother's and sister's." Stark's AI replied and Sam scowled while Tokomi chuckled.  
"Way to make me look like a total loser, Friday, thank you." He grouched and then looked back at the screen, "But at least it made you laugh again. Should I get Rhodey in here? Get him to dish out some more horrible embarassing stories? He makes the best faces when it comes to that story where I got attacked by that eagle mid battle."

"You're not a loser, Sam. Quite on the contrary. And if I knew that I wouldn't risk the world's safety by being selfish, then I would invite you to come here." She ducked her head when Sam gaped at her, gentle eyes wide in surprise.  
"I...I'm...I'm totally overdue for some vacation days if you're serious." He stuttered out after a moment of silence and Tokomi grinned upon having caught him completely offguard, "Are you serious?"

"Yes." She replied before her brain had really time to freak out about it, "Yeah, I really am quite serious. You should come, even if only for a weekend."  
"Don't kid with me here, Toko, because if you say yes one more time, I'm gonna book a flight and send a vacation notice to Steve." Sam tested her and Tokomi grinned, leaning closer to the screen.

"Yes."

Sam whooped and fistbumped the air and then pulled out his phone and started typing so quickly her own fingers cramped in sympathy.  
"Wow, you really want to get ouf of that tower." She joked and he looked up, beamed at her, strength of his smile almost blinding her.

"No. I want to see you."

And that just saved her mood for the rest of the day.

\--

An hour after ending the call and nesting herself into the couch to watch her favourite movie and eat her body weight in chocolate, Tokomi was reminded quite beautifully that Sam and Bucky were big brothers with little sisters, more active on Sam's part nowadays but that protective instinct and need to comfort never got away apparently.

The door to the living room of the apartment she shared with Naomi in the palace opened without a knock, narrowing the list of candidates down to only a few. 

T'Challa smiled, closed the door, walked over to her and picked her up like she was five again, unable to understand why Hunter could have done this to her, a sentiment she still shared with her younger self.  
"Sam called Bucky, Bucky pushed the phone into my face." Her cousin, who had always been her big brother as well, told her quietly, while she clung to him, "You're coming with me. And we should hurry, because I left Bucky and Shuri to watch over dinner in the oven and even though it seems highly unlikely, they're just the right people to burn something impossible to be burned."

She chuckled when he set her down again and gave her time to get her shoes, but Tokomi paused when she found her phone in the mess of pillows on the couch, staring at the picture Sam had sent her about half an hour ago. She must have missed it, and now she felt herself tearing up again, but for completely different reasons. She clapped one hand over her mouth and still smiled at the selfie, Sam smiling, eyes closed, his nose smelling the beautiful flower held up in his face by his own hand.

The yellow color bright and wonderful.

"Your favourite flower." T'Challa spoke up, coming to stand next to her and Tokomi bit her lips to keep herself from babbling away, "Something you want to tell me?" He asked, of course he had noticed. Tokomi let her lips curl into a grin, fingers quickly setting the picture as her new background.

"I think I'm falling in love."

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!


	13. We're Doing This Right Part 1

The setting sun let the light appear orange, casting the lake and the gentle waves in ember and the breeze was still warm and soft. It was beautiful, just like he remembered it from his childhood. Those days that never ended, away from the strictness of the palace, away from rules and lessons, those summers had been magical.

He could still remember them so easily, as if it hadn't been decades but just weeks since he had been a child, before things got ugly, before going outside alone as the son of the king was impossible. Those endless summer days and magical summer nights before Hunter had turned on them, before not a single step without bodyguards was allowed anymore.

Those summers at Lake Turkana, in his grandmother's old family home.

And now where he thought about it as the water soothed his feet and legs and the last beams of light from the sun warmed his face, his mind took him right back to that summer after his aunt and uncle had died. Out there in the beauty of their homeland, away from always curious eyes, just family, Naomi learning how to smile again.

What a time it had been, watching Shuri scramble after Elim as they carried more water to the fort they had been building in the sand higher up the shore. Watching Hunter throw a wildly shrieking Naomi up into the air in the water, catching her just before she could have hit the water, sometimes letting those little feet go under even, both of them were laughing loud enough to scare off wild animals for miles.

Secure in the knowledge that their parents were just one call away, T'Challa could focus back on the baby girl pulling herself up on her chubby little knees, small hands tightly fisted around his pinky fingers while he sat cross-legged in front of her. Smiling encouragingly whenever those baby blues looked up at him in hesitation, always quiet, always careful, it was not surprising his father had taken her into council meetings so many times in the last weeks, simply because he had forgotten that he had still been carrying her.

"At some point, you will have to learn to walk, you know?" He joked when instead of making any attempts at getting feet involved to get up higher Tokomi just stretched out her arms and and smiled that still almost toothless grin. Some point was not today though, and they all just loved to carry her around so much anyway. And who wouldn't, when those always happy eyes looked at you like you were the sun itself, when those lips were always smiling, when those tiny hands always liked to carefully stroke over what part of skin she could reach.

"Walking is underrated!" the laughing voice had him look up and grin when he caught sight of a drenched Hunter, an equally dripping Naomi sitting on his shoulders, beaming all proud and smug, hands wrapped tight around Hunter's head, feet banging merrily away against his chest. T'Challa rolled his eyes but swung a then giggling Tokomi up into his arms, settling her against his hip once he had gotten back to his feet as well.

"I don't wanna walk anymore." Naomi declared, loud and excited, always full of energy, never able to sit still, no matter how much they tried to tire her out. T'Challa wondered just where all that energy could come from in that tiny little body as he reached up with his free hand to flick her nose.  
"You can walk and you will walk. You would always complain we're too slow anyway." He told her and she stuck her tongue out at him, putting her face into that stubborn scowl that only Hunter could have taught her that well.

Shuri and Elim chose that moment to run over, throwing themselves at Hunter only a short second after seeing that T'Challa was holding the baby, at least with them the lesson had stuck. Hunter swayed only a little when both kids crashed against his legs and then started talking over each other, demanding (Shuri) and begging (Elim) for a boat ride.  
"Well, what do you think, little brother? Can we spare a moment for the rascals?" Hunter asked and looked very thoughtful for a moment, Shuri's eyes went wide.

"I don't know. Can little ones promise to keep their overcurious heads inside the boat?" T'Challa asked, biting back the grin just like Hunter did, trying to look stern. Elim nodded quickly, whipping back and forth on his feet a bit. Shuri brought up a finger and tapped her finger against her chin, the gesture screamed after their father, but then she nodded as well, one arm wrapped around Hunter's knee.

"Alright." Hunter decided and Shuri and Elim cheered in joy, he took off not a blink later, off towards the small pier, while Shuri reached up with arms and stared Hunter down.  
"Pick me up. Please." The polite adding at the end was definitely more show than real feeling and Hunter scoffed at her while T'Challa hid a grin in Tokomi's curls, "I am a Princess. And you told me princesses don't walk, they get carried."

"Well, that bedtime story blew up in your face." T'Challa snorted out and then turned to walk after Elim, Hunter sighed and then bend down to pick Shuri up, like the complete whipped fool he was. T'Challa looked down at Tokomi and rolled his eyes, she giggled and blew a raspberry at him.

\--

"You are very far away this morning."

T'Challa looked up where he had been sitting on the edge of the pool, legs up to his knees in water, the coolness feeling good on his body, but even better was the gentle hand stroking through the hair at the back of his head. He found Bucky looking down at him, crouched down at his side, holding out a glass of water with his other hand.

T'Challa took it and leaned further into the touch at the same time, tasting the touch of medicine in the water right away.  
"You've noticed." He pointed out and Bucky hummed in reply, shifting until he was sitting down next to him, legs slipping into the water as well.  
"Some things just don't need explaining." Bucky said quietly and waited until T'Challa set the now empty glass to the side before intertwining their fingers on his thigh, bumping their shoulders gently together.

"Thanks." T'Challa replied and mirrored the smile sent his way, feeling the pounding headache slowly die down into a simple annoyance. Bucky didn't say anything right away, but instead chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before starting up again.  
"You slept uneasy last night. Been tossing and turning a lot." He recalled carefully and T'Challa sighed, "No, don't feel guilty for keeping me up. I did it to you before we were even together in one place, let alone together together. I want to be there for you, as much as I can. You know you can talk to me."

"I worry." T'Challa told him, thinking of the council meeting that was awaiting him this afternoon, called together by him, voluntarily, to finally get them off his back and to make a decision final that he should have made years ago. And of course to deal with Hunter's bloody reappearance.  
"Doesn't have to be a bad thing." Bucky added quietly and T'Challa smiled at his sheepish tone, turning to look at him again.  
"Sometimes, I think I worry too much." He admitted and Bucky snorted, "Yeah, I know, not likely to stop anytime soon."

"It's who you are. And you are whom I love, I don't want that to change." Bucky said softly and T'Challa breathed out with a smile, leaning against Bucky's shoulder and welcoming the hand that moved up to first cup the back of his head and then started to play with his hair, "Been thinking about the future again?"  
"No." T'Challa replied quietly, "About the past actually, the summer after my aunt and uncle died. My father packed us all up and we went to my grandmother's old house at Lake Turkana. We hadn't been there together for two years in a row because things had always been hectic, and my father and uncle never seemed to manage to find time together. But that year...it wasn't all pretty of course, we were all still shaken up. Naomi didn't want to sleep alone and Elim got angry quickly, but we healed and it turned out to be one of the best summers I ever had."

"Did Hunter made you think of that?" Bucky wanted to know carefully and T'Challa snorted, reaching out to leet his fingers dance over Bucky's thigh.  
"No, whoever he is now, this isn't who he was back then. Back then, that was my brother, that was a boy who couldn't say no to our sister at all, who would have rather lost a limb than see his cousins unhappy." The hand at his neck squeezed gently and T'Challa sighed, "Is it bad that I am trying to understand why he did what he did? Why he changed? Instead of just writing him out my life. I'm not angry with Shuri or Tokomi, they are protecting themselves the best way they can. I just want to know if there is anything we could have done differently, if there ever had been a chance to save him."

"What if's can destroy a person, T'Challa."

"I know, but I won't let it destroy me. I know that I might never get an answer, but it doesn't mean I won't try. I have a patience as well, Buck, just because I haven't given up on Hunter just yet, doesn't mean there won't be a point where I will." And he would, brother or not, but if Hunter hurt another person he cared about he would make the cut and that time it would be final. And Naomi would get permission to bite.

Bucky shifted, moving until he was sitting behind him, legs on either side of him, bracking him in, grounding him. And when the first fingers dug into the knots in his back, he let out a deep groan and felt every thought in his head disappear.  
"Okay, do that again." He demanded with a heavy voice and Bucky snickered against his shoulderblade but let his fingers work again, "Okay, yes, yes totally on board with this." And he let himself relax into Bucky's magical hands.

"Whatever you will choose to do, I'll believe in you, Chall. Not because I love you, but because I know that you're a good man.

\--

"I haven't seen you this excited since uncle chose you to accompany them to Vienna." Naomi offered up where she was leaning against the side of her car on the parking lot of the airport, waiting until Tokomi was finally done with fixing her shirt, there was just this one edge on the hemline that had to rebel.  
"I'm not excited, I'm just happy to see him again." She defended herself and then took one last at her face in the rearview mirror before finally getting out of the car.

Naomi hummed and smiled, but said nothing for the moment, just locked the car and swung herself to her side, and they walked into the airport in comfortable silence. Smiling at the people who recognized them but left them alone.  
"You know, I can totally ask Efia if I can crash with her for a few days." Her sister started right up again the moment they were inside the airport building, slowly walking towards the waiting area in front of the arrivals gate.

Tokomi took a deep breath and chose not to rise to the bait that Naomi's smirk promised, it had been bad enough to go through T'Challa's silent smiles and Shuri's all knowing looks, but Naomi was way worse, because ninety percent of the time she just had no filter when it came to teasing people about their love life. Figured that next to her brother who had stepped far away from the craziness the first chance he got, it just had to be her wild sister who had the most stable relationship and longest at that as well among them all.

Fate just found itself funny sometimes it seemed.

"Just shut up." She said in response and Naomi only smirked bigger, shoving at her lightly and Tokomi broke out laughing despite the annoyance.  
"Look at you, you're so madly in love. You better pin that boy down soon, sis." Preferably before Naomi, T'Challa and Shuri can unite in that shovel talk against Sam, her head provided her in a private reaction to Naomi's words, but she just shook her head and smiled.

In front of them the board listed Sam's plane as having landed and she felt her heart skip, soon enough she would see him again, in the flesh, no more computer screens and video calls. She would hear his voice, not over the phone but right there next to her.

Naomi gave her some space when the first passengers walked out of the doors and Tokomi could feel her entire attention focus down to spotting his face. Sam stepped out of the gate about a minute later, smiling so bright and happy, though looking a little exhausted after the long flight and in the hand not pulling his suitcase he carried...

"Flowers? Real flowers? How did he get those here alive? And looking as fresh as that?" Naomi spoke up louder than her thoughts could while Tokomi stood frozen and stared at Sam and the bouquet of bright yellow flowers in his hand as he looked around for her, "Toko!" Naomi hissed, closer now again, "Move!"

And she did.

Moved on slow feet and in the next second Sam's eyes found her, he brightened up until he was more blinding than the sun, and she still couldn't look away. Her feet moved on their own then until she was standing right in front of Sam, who raised the flowers without a single word but she could read it all on his face.

"They're beautiful." She whispered and they smiled at each other, she let a finger trace the delicate petals of one yellow flower and Sam followed every single movement. It would have been so easy to kiss him then, to just lean up and kiss him, but she didn't, she was still a member of the Royal Family and their first kiss would not happen in a busy public area full of curious people, so instead she settled for a quiet, "Hi."  
"Hey, Toko." Sam replied and they hugged, Tokomi knew her heart set out for a second when she finally could feel his arms around her again.

"How did you get the flowers here?"

Did they have to give her a sister?

Why?

She must have whispered those words under her breath because Sam laughed and then pulled back from her again, but kept his arm around her shoulders, with her holding the flowers, as they turned to face Naomi and that purely devious smile.  
"Hello, Naomi, good to see you again, too." Sam saved them from the words on the tip of Tokomi's tongue that would have not been half as polite, "And charm gets you many places." He answered her question and sent a beaming smile in Tokomi's direction that she mirrored. The flowers smelled just as beautiful as they looked.

"I'm gonna get the car before this glowing brightness gets contagious." Naomi drawled but Tokomi didn't really hear her, too absorbed in the sugar sweet look Sam watched her with.  
"I can't believe you're really here." She confessed and Sam chuckled, looked around them with bright eyes, his arm still around her shoulders and she found herself leaning against him just the tiniest bit.

"Yeah, me neither." He admitted and then they started moving again, Sam grabbed his suitcase and they went towards the exit, "Did you get around to telling T'Challa and Bucky that I was coming since yesterday?" He asked when they stepped into the sunshine, Tokomi suddenly found the flowers even more interesting, "So, surprise huh?"  
"In my defense." She started and looked up again, "Shuri knows, it's a miracle Naomi kept her mouth shut and honey and darling are so caught in their bubble, it's difficult getting a word into their head nowadays."

"Certainly good then that I am not here for them, but for you." And Tokomi was saved from finding an answer to that when Naomi pulled up at the curb.

\--

T'Challa had lost track of time somewhere between talented hands getting those knots out of his shoulders and soft lips following gentle fingers with kisses. Sometime after that Bucky had lost his shirt as well and they had somehow made it upon the couch, with Bucky straddling him. Lips chasing each other in hungry kisses while hands roamed over heated naked skin.

His heart filled with joy and so much love when Bucky made those high noises again as they pulled apart, muscles shifting under T'Challa's hands when he ground down on him. Bucky's lips kissed a path along his jaw and down his neck and T'Challa threw his head back to give him more access. It could have been so perfect, weren't it for the strangely familiar laughter filling his ear.

Wait...

"Did you just hear that?" He asked and frowned, but Bucky mumbled something against his skin and sucked at his throat, "No, I'm serious, there..." and the laughter returned, louder, sounding somehow closer, "Buck, why am I hearing Sam Wilson's laughter in my backyard?"  
"Don't know, don't care." Bucky grunted out and pulled his face into a kiss again, one hand sliding down his waist, putting everything he had into the kiss, "You're just imagining things." He spoke against T'Challa's lips who really tried to get lost in it. He tried.

"But I can still hear Sam Wilson in my backyard!"

Bucky sighed and pulled back so that T'Challa could wrench his head to the side and look out the windows where Tokomi and Naomi just rounded onto the patio with no other but Sam Wilson in tow.

"Sam Wilson is on my patio."

"Did I really manage to kiss you that delirious?" Bucky wanted to know and looked a little gobsmacked, T'Challa scoffed at him.  
"You wish." He quipped back and Bucky dug his nails into his side a little, "You're welcome to try though." T'Challa offered with a little smirk, eyes dancing over to the view over Bucky's shoulder again briefly.

"Well, I am trying to, you're the one who can't stop talking about Sam bloody Wilson." Bucky answered but then he froze when Sam laughed again, accompanied by Tokomi's giggle.  
"Do you still believe I'm imagining things?" T'Challa tried it with some humor and a raised eyebrow, not really in the mood to move or even think about moving Bucky away from where he was despite their surprise guests.

"Maybe I hit my head on your awesomeness?" Bucky hit right back and despite that both of them had to hear the three pairs of footsteps coming towards the half open patio door now, Bucky still leaned back in to mouth at his neck.  
"You really think you're being smooth, huh?" But his only answer were teeth biting gently at his shoulder just as Tokomi stepped into the living room.

"I suddenly regret not having called ahead. Hey, guys." Tokomi deadpanned and next to her Sam was looking very surprised. T'Challa glared at her and then at Naomi snickering and stealing herself away into the kitchen, Bucky was still ignoring everyone and too busy mapping out his neck with his lips, "Look." Tokomi continued as if nothing was out of the ordinary, holding up the bouquet of flowers, "Aren't they beautiful? Sam brought them for me."

"Buck..." T'Challa pleaded and Bucky groaned but pulled away, rolling off of him and onto the couch, arms crossed over his chest and glowering at Sam and Tokomi, in the kitchen Naomi had grabbed a peach and looked like the cat who got the cream, "So...will anyone be so nice and tell me what you are all doing here?"  
"Visiting our favourite cousin?" Naomi tried it from her place on the kitchen counter and T'Challa turned to glower at her.

"Wow, that hurts, Mimi." Another voice joined in from the others side the living room and Bucky had his shirt in his hands and pulled on so quickly that a speedster might have gotten jealous. Bright red and for whatever reason completely embarassed and shy now whereas the previous presence of the girls and Sam hadn't even made him stop, he made himself really small when Shuri walked over and stroked through his hair, "Before this develops into anything, I'm here to pick you up, brother of mine, we have a meeting to attend." Shuri explained and T'Challa cursed.

Beautifully. For at least one minute. In at least thirteen different languages.

"We are not done here!" T'Challa announced, pointing a finger at both charmingly smiling cousins as he heaved himself to his feet and pulled Bucky away from Shuri cooing smiles and stroking fingers. They made their way into the bedroom to get dressed but once the door was closed, Bucky grinned and pulled T'Challa back into a deep kiss, pushing him down on the bed.

"You know that I have to get ready." He spoke against smirking lips but pushed up into the hands trailing down his chest.  
"I can be quick." Bucky whispered against his neck and T'Challa felt his body respond to those quiet promises, his hands pulling Bucky further down on him.  
"You are the devil." He breathed out and then gave a silent moan when Bucky began to slide down his chest, "Devil, devil, having everyone fooled, the true devil." He babbled and threw his head back, hands flying out to find hold in the sheets when Bucky chuckled against his hipbone and metal fingers started to pull on the waistband of his shorts.

\--

"Don't think we're done for today!" T'Challa called out as he walked out of the bathroom again, closing the last buttons on his dress shirt, glancing over to where Bucky was lounging on the bed, limbs everywhere, smiling all loopy and content, butt ass naked.   
"Never." Bucky drawled and rolled over once so the bedsheet was draped over his body in a way that made T'Challa want to peal it right off of him again.

"The devil I disguise I tell you." He said, walked over and leaned down to kiss the tip of Bucky's nose, hands busy setting his tie right, "But the cutest most beautiful one I have ever met." Bucky smiled, all with wide bright eyes and glowing cheeks, "And snap, innocent angel again. We're gonna continue this tonight, I promise you." He told Bucky and stole another kiss, "But for now, I fear you have to get dressed."

"You do know that Naomi and Tokomi have basically taken over the room I still store my clothes in, right?" Bucky pointed out but unwrapped himself from the sheet and got up.  
"We should change that." T'Challa hummed in front of the mirror, straightening the knot on his tie with one hand and using the other to push open the closet door again, "Pick something."

They finished getting dressed and then got so far as the corridor around the corner from the living room before T'Challa just had to pin Bucky against the wall again.  
"It's the clothes." He explained when Bucky made a surprised noise, "You're wearing my clothes and I have to leave, this is so unfair." He complained and tried to go for another kiss, only to be stopped by two hands grabbing onto his arms and pulling, "Tonight." He promised again and Bucky smiled, no more smirking, no more open desire and teasing, all good innocent boy again, and it gave the answer to who was manhandling him away without him having to look.

Bucky laughed and grabbed his hands, letting himself be pulled along down the corridor, "Don't let yourself be dragged into any of their bullshit. Resist them, Bucky, resist them. I'll come and save you the second I'm done." T'Challa grinned at him and Bucky gasped.  
"My hero." He snickered, "Can't wait for tonight then, gonna be looking forward to it all day."

"You two make me want to barf up rainbows and sunshine." Shuri spoke up again, "Now come on, you lump." And she pulled hard on T'Challa, having him stumble back against her, "You can ravish your muffin later."  
"Again." T'Chall and Bucky finished that sentence together and then both started laughing, Shuri groaned.

"Let's just go." 

T'Challa grinned at Bucky, pulled him in for another kiss and some more whispered promises in his ear, that had Bucky shudder, "I love you," he finished it and Bucky smiled.

"I love you, too. See you tonight."

\--

"I've seen newly married couples less in love than you two." Shuri told him as they made their way into the palace and up to the council chambers, her heels clicked loudly on the floor.  
"If you want to hear complaints, they're not gonna come from me." He clarified, smiling as Okoye fell in step on his other side, "I'm in love and I'm not gonna deny it."

"And goodbye." Okoye deadpanned and made to leave again but T'Challa laughed and pulled her back, "Look at you, you're basically floating."  
"Should see him with Barnes around, it's so sweet, we don't need any sugar around anymore." Shuri snarked and T'Challa couldn't decide between glaring at her or elbowing Okoye for the snorted response.

"Can we rather talk about the fact that Tokomi brought Wilson into the country and apparently nobody had the nerve to tell us?" He changed the topic instead and looked from one woman to the next, only to blink when he came face to face with their blank faces, "Wait a second..."  
"I knew." Shuri answered and Okoye nodded as well, T'Challa gaped, "And you shouldn't be surprised that the woman who grew up as basically your youngest sister does not always like to fly around in your overprotective bubble."

He stopped, struggling for words for a minute, "But I'm the king. People are supposed to tell me when things happen in this country. How am I not seeing these things pass me by?" He wanted to know and Shuri and Okoye turned to him on either side of the double doors, the guards were already reaching out to open them.  
"Because you're madly in love." They proclaimed together and then the guards opened the doors.

T'Challa stopped being just a man and became King, annoyed frown vanishing into a blank pokerface, Shuri turned from mischievious little sister into charming and slightly deadly smiling Princess, and Okoye lost the teasing smirk and turned into the quiet threatening Dora Milaje leader.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming on such short notice." T'Challa called out and spread his arms in a welcoming gesture as the doors fell shut behind them again.

\--


	14. We're Doing This Right Part 2

"What did Steve say when you told him you were coming here?" Bucky asked when they waited for the girls in the park, both of them watching how Tokomi and Naomi laughed while waiting in line at the cafe to get coffee and ice cream. Sam snorted and laid back on the blanket they had brought, looked up at the man who he knew was Bucky Barnes, but who looked like decades had been taken off his shoulders. He looked younger, so much happier. 

"Have fun, don't do something to embarass me and have a good flight." Sam parroted back what Steve had told to him, ink smudged over his face, seating arrangements for the wedding venue looking like some kind of battlefield on the table in front of him. For a master tactician he was really taking a long time to figure out where to seat whom, "He also warned me that bringing a plus one who is also invited as a regular guest fucks with his seating arrangements and I better give him a call right away."

"No really subtle, huh?" Bucky laughed upon his grumbled words and Sam grinned, more about the ease he had around himself now and not the humor in his words.  
"Seems to be a super soldier special." He quipped back and Bucky turned to look down at him, "Look at you, you're almost bouncing in place with happiness. Dude, if you glow any brighter the sun will get jealous." Bucky rolled his eyes, but also ducked his head and Sam nudged a knee against his, "Look, I didn't come here to tease you. I'm happy you're happy."

"Thanks. And we both know you came here for Tokomi so don't even try and make up excuses." Bucky went on the offensive and Sam played behind hurt, even though his eyes flickered over to Tokomi all on their own again for a brief moment.  
"You wound me, Barnes. But she is amazing, isn't she?" Bucky snorted at his answer and shoved him to make more room on the blanket.  
"She is incredible, like all of them are. She is also the youngest, so be ready for some talks and cold shoulders until you've proven yourself." Bucky warned him but Sam nodded, he hadn't expected anything else.

He was a big brother himself, he knew what he would do in such a situation.

"Did you get the evil eye?" He set his eyes on Bucky again who grinned and flopped down on the blanket himself, Sam only now realized that he had never seen either shirt or pants on him before and was surprised that Bucky had apparently gone shopping.  
"Me?" Bucky exclaimed in complete surprise and turned his head to look at him and that wide eyed play of innocence was so familiar Sam started laughing before Bucky was even speaking, "I'm an angel, Wilson."

Sam was still laughing when Tokomi and Naomi returned.

\--

Dinner was a joyous affair, even before they really set down to eat, and Bucky had the greatest fun sitting over at the bar table in the kitchen, switching between watching T'Challa cook and grinning over Naomi and Shuri taking turns interrogating Sam. Sam was doing alright, at least he thought so, sitting patiently through those awkward questions and laughing much, he felt comfortable and it surely had to do a lot with the woman sitting right next to him on the couch. Close enough that their knees were touching, Tokomi was mildly glaring at her sister and cousin but also looked amused and happy.

A spoon popped into his line of sight and Bucky looked away from the merry group in the living room and up at T'Challa's curious face, spoon held out to Bucky's lips. He looked so at ease, so peaceful since returning home, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. And it probably had. He opened his mouth and chewed on the piece of meat that was offered to him, T'Challa smiled when he moaned in delight and leaned down to kiss his nose as he swallowed.

Bucky returned the gesture and then turned on his chair to let his fingers dance over T'Challa's back when he turned back to the stove. T'Challa pushed back into the touch, started humming under his breath along to the music Naomi had put on a while ago, it was an Avril Lavigne song and Bucky snickered.   
"Alright, dinner is done, someone go and set the table," T'Challa called out, turned off the stove and stepped right between Bucky's open legs, pushing his arms around his neck and smiling down at him.

"You look very happy tonight." Bucky whispered and T'Challa dropped his forehead against his, smiling from one ear to another.  
"I am very happy tonight." He agreed and Bucky closed his eyes when their lips met, slipping his arms around T'Challa's waist and pulling him even closer. All that tension and restlessness from last night and this morning was gone, replaced by deep contentment. Bucky was relieved. And it really was contagious, like a warmth settling into your bones after a long day out in the winter. T'Challa deepened the kiss and for a moment Bucky was completely able to forget that they weren't alone at all, but then a finger gently tapped against his cheek.

"How about you eat your little muffin later, because we're all hungry right now and would like to go on with dinner." Shuri grinned at him and spoke directed at her brother, T'Challa rolled his eyes but pulled back and then helped Bucky off the chair while Shuri laughed and walked by them to get the plates.

"You know what we should do tonight?" Naomi started when they all settled around the table, Bucky found himself between Shuri and T'Challa, "Go out, pay Ajani a visit. It's really time T'Challa and Bucky get their chance to dance as well."  
"It's a club." Tokomi jumped in when Bucky and Sam had looked confused, Bucky especially couldn't understand why one club suddenly made the difference. His heart sped up a little, it wasn't like dancing with T'Challa was not something he enjoyed and wanted but alone the thought that people could find out, that T'Challa could get into trouble with his people because of him...

He could still remember the night he had been out with Natasha, Sam and Clint for the first time in New York, how much fun they had had until one idiot had recognized him and yelled it into the entire club. Creating a big scene, riling up six more of his friends until Bucky was being presented with a loud and angry recollection of his past as Hydra's puppet. Sam and Clint had lost it and suddenly there had been paparazzi and the fallout for the Avenger's publicity had been all but sure, despite Natasha immediately intervening. Bucky had disappeared, had just slipped away and made it somehow into the next dark alleyway one corner over until he had sacked against the wall, breaths stuck in his chest.

A hand on his knee squeezed and Bucky snapped back into the present with his head, blinking into their round, where everyone had gone silent, more or less not looking at him.  
"It's discreet, very discreet. Ajani was our fathers' best friend, they grew up together." T'Challa began to explain while everyone else started eating again, "He loved music, loved to dance, but when your best friends are the king and his closest advisor, there aren't many places where you can unwind, so he founded a club with elite members. Nothing of what happens ever gets out. Naomi is right, we could dance." T'Challa continued, smiling and so at ease, but Bucky could barely feel the ground under his feet, "Hey? Bucky?"

"Excuse me." Bucky managed to choke out and then pushed himself away from the table and fled down the corridor. 

\--

He made it to the door of the master bedroom until there were hands on his arm and waist, pulling him back against a strong chest.  
"Breathe. Come on, breathe for me." T'Challa whispered in his ear and Bucky snorted, some other more high-pitched noise escaping his throat but he still sacked back against T'Challa, "Why are you freaking out?"

"I'm not..." but one closer look at how his hands were shaking on the door handle and how his breaths were passed steady made him realize the difference, "Okay, yeah, I'm freaking out." T'Challa hummed in reply and then nudged Bucky against the door, gesture clear and Bucky opened the door and slipped inside, T'Challa right behind him.

"Why?" T'Challa asked again and Bucky dragged both hands down his face before throwing his hands up and turning around to face the taller man.  
"Why aren't you?" He questioned right back and tried to find anything else but the happiness on the other man's face, mixed together maybe a little with concern for him right now, but there was nothing, "Why aren't you freaking out? Alone the thought over what they could say about you when they find out you are dating a foreigner. A foreigner who was once accused of having killed your father. And only now am I realizing that we haven't talked about us once since this started. Not even once, so yeah, I think my head is exploding right now and yours should too!"

"Bucky." T'Challa began and made to come closer, but Bucky shook his head and held up a hand.  
"No, don't come closer right now. I want to think, and I can't think when you're closer." He complained half-heartedly and the smile on T'Challa's face only grew.  
"We really do need to talk about this, huh?" He said and sat down on the edge of the bed, Bucky sent him a look that said it all, "Okay, now I do feel bad for never bringing this up."

"You thought about it?" Bucky wanted to know, blinking about the hysterical note in his voice before clearing his throat twice and trying again, "You thought about us? About this?" He continued much calmer already and waved a hand between them, T'Challa nodded.  
"Of course I did. There is much to think about for me, I'm not just anybody, I have a country and people that I am responsible for, but that doesn't mean I can't have something for myself as well. You're my boyfriend, if you want to be mine."

"It can't be that easy." Bucky argued and T'Challa held out a hand, patient and waiting until Bucky sighed and came closer, stepping between his legs and holding onto his hands.  
"It's not easy, probably never will, not with who we are, but that doesn't mean we should let it stop us. Listen, this isn't the right time, you know that Mimi or Shu will just storm through that door in the next minute or so, demanding to know if you're alright and if we can still go out. Let's have fun tonight, let loose, because we truly can, and tomorrow we go out, up into the jungle again and talk. Just the two of us." T'Challa proposed and Bucky bit his lip.

The thought of dancing with him was really distracting.

"Just the two of us?" He asked and T'Challa nodded, "Okay. Okay, let's go out." He decided and smiled down at the grin that bloomed on T'Challa's face again.  
"You sure?" He wanted to clarify and Bucky nodded, stepping back and pulling him up again to capture his lips in a kiss that promised more.  
"I am. We're not avoiding the topic, we're just setting it to a day with more time." Bucky explained and T'Challa slowly began to walk them over to the closet.

"Exactly. You're gonna wear my clothes again?" He asked and Bucky nodded, he liked that the shirts were tight, and so soft, that they smelled of T'Challa, said man smirked all devious and brought his hands up to the buttons of his shirt, "Well then get me out of this and into something less strict and we can go."

"Wow." Naomi deadpanned from outside the voice, "I so didn't need to hear this. But if we're going out and Bucky is wearing your stuff, does that mean I can take Bucky's dark blue shirt and turn it into a dress?"  
"Wait, what?" Bucky yelled and shoved T'Challa off so that he could storm over to the door, leaving T'Challa behind with a half unbuttoned shirt, but then immediately after vanished around the door stuck his head around the corner again, "I'll be right back, don't move! Naomi, get back here!"

\--

They finished dinner in peace then and gave the girl some time to get dressed, a time T'Challa and Sam spend talking with a lot of long stares exchanged as well. Bucky ignored them for the most part and hugged his dark blue shirt to his chest whenever Naomi dared to look back into the room.

Shuri returned first and was probably the only reason T'Challa didn't jump into a shovel talk before Tokomi and Sam were even a thing, even if you had to be blind not to see how happy they were around each other.

Shuri swung herself onto the couch right next to Bucky and pulled out her phone from the pockets of her bright blue dress, she looked amazing as always. She handed the phone over to him after scrolling to a picture.  
"Oh, is this him? He is really handsome." Bucky told her, looking over the picture of the smiling man in the doctor's uniform, he looked positively besotted.

"You can meet him later, he'll come after his shift is done." She explained and Bucky grinned, looking forward to meeting the man whose heart was so gone for the beautiful incredible woman sitting right next to him.  
"You're just trying to give me an ulcer now, aren't you?" T'Challa piped up again as well and Shuri flipped him off.

"I love you, too, brother."

\--

A casual arm slung around his shoulders outside in the parking lot turned into a protective arm around his waist the moment they stepped into the club. It was packed and loud, and Bucky tensed a little, instinctual reaction he might as well never be able to, but T'Challa tightened his arm around him and the tension bled out of Bucky again. Naomi vanished out of their group basically the second they had passed the entrance, but they gained a new member when a man with short black hair appeared in front of T'Challa with a merry smiled and they clasped hands without T'Challa letting go of Bucky.

He didn't need long to identify him as Faraji, especially not when Shuri pushed herself past her brother and hooked her arm around the man's left one.  
"Same booth as always?" Tokomi wanted to know from where she was standing behind them with Sam curiously looking around the place, and Shuri nodded.  
"You go up, we'll be right behind you." T'Challa said though and suddenly Bucky was pulled off to the right and had to skip a step to keep up.

"Woah, where are we going?" his question was answered when he found himself surrounded by dancing people on the dancefloor and T'Challa didn't give his head a moment to connect before he had his body already pressed close.

"I wanted to do this for so long."

\--

"Why is Sam down there and you're up here?" Shuri asked and came to stand next to Tokomi up at the banister on the first floor, beautiful view down at the dancefloor and the bar. The bar where Sam was surrounded by three women, one of them especially, small, blond, twirling that whiskey glass between her fingers, kept on fluttering her eyes at him. And sweet as he was, he laughed over their probably stupid jokes and smiled and smiled, "You are aware that if you so much as take a single step in a ten feet radius of him, his eyes, his heart and body are only on you, right? He keeps on looking for you."

"You don't know that." Tokomi heard himself whisper but her heart betrayed her, beating faster, she had been taken over by her nerves after the initial high of dancing and music had ebbed away a little. And a quick trip of five minutes to get some air had turned into twenty minutes of staring at Sam being spoken to by woman after woman.  
"Oh, but I do." Shuri intervened, elbowing her until she looked at the older woman, "That man is gone for you, hopelessly gone, he would lay the world at your feet if he knew that's what you wanted. I've seen his eyes when he looks at you, he doesn't see anyone else, Toko. He came here for you."

"It's scary."

"Yeah, love can do that to you. Especially if it's the first time, but..." and she let her hand slip down to take her hands in hers, "I can promise you that if you let it happen, it's only gonna get better." And Tokomi saw her glance over her shoulder where she knew Faraji was still sitting with T'Challa and Bucky in their booth, "It's worth it to be nervous, it's worth it to be scared. Take a leap of faith, I know you trust him already, so take some strength and make that last step as well. And don't think of your sister and T'Challa and their shovel talk threats, you know they both like Sam."

"It took T'Challa three years to stop giving Faraji the evil eye." Tokomi reminded her and Shuri rolled her eyes.  
"Yeah, but that's a special case, honey, they studied together in England, T'Challa knows exactly what kind of shit they got into together. And you know as well as I do that Bucky's gonna threw a hand into the fire for Sam at any time. Go down there, remember who are you. Use it to show those women that Sam is yours." Shuri told her and Tokomi straightened her shoulders, her heart doing sommersaults and her stomach fluttering with butterflies, but she could do this, no more running, no more dreaming, "See, that's my girl." And she leaned in to kiss her cheek once before walking away again, up to their booth to get Faraji Tokomi guessed.

"You can do this." She whispered quietly to herself as she made her first steps towards the stairs, "You wanted him here, you wanted him close, you want him, so take him." Taking one last deep breath, Tokomi then let her eyes zero in on Sam and him alone and began to stalk down the stairs and through the packed dancefloor. Passed Faraji leading Shuri into a slow dance, so gentle and careful with her. Passed Naomi and Efia, heads close, giggling as they danced. 

And then she was already standing in front of Sam, and her ears were ringing with the thuds of her pulse, her hands seemed so sweaty suddenly and her knees felt like jelly, but he looked at her, smiled, his whole face brightening up like he did with no one else. She felt the stares of the women who had until now been sure of his attention, but she ignored them.

Ignored them in favor of bringing one hand up to cup Sam's cheek and pull him slightly down towards her so that she could press her lips to his.And then they were kissing, and it all washed away, the fear, the nervousness and even the butterflies were really quiet for a moment. Only to explode into a storm of pure joy when Sam pushed an arm around her waist to pull her closer, smiling into their kiss.

When they broke apart to get some air, she looked up into his eyes and found the same emotions she had been staring into all day already, the kindness, the fondness.  
"Do you want to dance again?" She said very quietly but he still heard her, nodded and stepped back, holding out a hand for her to take. Tokomi grinned and took it.

They moved onto the dancefloor and he pulled her close, wrapped both arms around her as she rested her head against his chest, listened to his strong big heart while he gently moved them to the music.

\--

“You’re distracting me.” T’Challa noted about two minutes into the kiss Bucky had basically sprung on him and pulled away from Bucky with a frown,who innocently blinked back at him, smiling like an angel, “You’re distracting me because my cousin is about to make a move on Wilson.” He continued and made to turn his head back around but Bucky’s hand curled around his jaw and stopped him.

“No.” He told him, his round blue eyes keeping their innocent touch while his bitten lips pulled into a little pout, but the hand on T’Challa’s face was firm and kept him looking only at Bucky, “I’m distracting you from thinking too much. You need to relax or you’ll get another headache.”  
“They got you wrapped around their little finger, all three of them. Mimi, Toko and especially Shu.” T’Challa complained but gave up on throwing a look over his shoulder, Bucky whined and bit his bottom lip again, eyes briefly flickering over to where T’Challa couldn’t look, “They’re smooching now. Tokomi and Sam are snogging, my sister is getting handsy with that doctor of hers and Naomi just disappeared out of the backdoor with her girlfriend.”

“No?”

“No?” T’Challa asked, leaning in until Bucky had to squint to make out his face, he let the hand on Bucky's waist squeeze a little more, Bucky's widened a fraction further.  
“Well, technically...if you want details? You’re not entirely wrong...it’s just that...” and he gave a tiny whine and then threw his hands up, “Naomi and her girlfriend are the ones getting handsy and Shuri just vanished out of the backdoor with her doctor and Sam and Toko are more or less melting into each other while dancing and please don’t let them kill me.” It all bubbled out of Bucky in one breath and T’Challa groaned.

But then he decided to let things be things, too much to worry about already, he knew his girls could take care of themselves. Efia was a decent woman, Faraji had a great respect for him and was terrified of Okoye and Sam had a good heart and knew exactly what would come for him if he ever dared to hurt his cousin.  
"You know what." He said to Bucky who looked up at him like some innocent little puppy who only wanted all his friends to be happy, a little wary now of his reaction, "I don't care. They're grown ups, they can do whatever they want and deal with whatever consequences may come their way. I'm not a mother hen, I can walk away from this." T'Challa smiled and watched how Bucky cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him, temper rising in that kind soul.

"Walk away from this, huh?"

"Yes, walk away from this. Do you want to go home?" He asked and grinned when Bucky began to smirk, eyes flashing with something that was certainly no longer innocent. They got out of the booth and grabbed their jackets, T'Challa saw how Bucky waved down to Sam and Tokomi who had finally come up for air again, he smiled down at her as well, Tokomi raised an eyebrow and just dared him to do something. But then he nudged Bucky to start walking and they left the club, and once they were in the car, tinted windows and all, Bucky pulled him into a kiss that was less sweet and more hungry.

"Dancing at home?" Bucky asked breathlessly when they pulled apart again and T'Challa reached out to start the car, snorting over that question that meant everything but what the words implied. Bucky grinned at him, lounging back into the seat, head turned to the side and hooded eyes watching him.  
"I love you." He said as he pulled out of the parking lot, Bucky smiled, hand coming to rest on his knee and T'Challa felt the warmth seeking right into his veins.

"I love you, too."

\--


	15. Life, see? We Really Don't Care

They took off for their trip back into nature before the sun was even up, Bucky was convinced that the girls, Faraji and Sam were probably still deep asleep and terribly hungover, but he felt great and only a little nervous. 

A fact that quickly changed about an hour into their hike when his senses finally figured out why he was feeling so on edge the whole time.  
"Ehm...should I be worried?" He asked hesitantly and kept on throwing glances over his shoulder, ahead of him T'Challa made a questioning sound but didn't stop, neither did he look back, "You know, about the two four legged followers we have gained." He once more glanced over his shoulder and smiled, only to stumble forward a few steps in the next moment when the taller feline growled.

T'Challa chuckled.

And still didn't look back.

Instead he held out a hand and Bucky hurried to get to his side.

"Unless you plan on causing me harm, there is nothing to be concerned about." T'Challa told him, calm and almost as if he could understand why Bucky felt his heart beat a little too fast. Animals hated him, that had been the case from day one, every cat, dog or bird, everything had immediately all claws or teeth or beak poised for attack, and that had clearly not changed since Bucky had changed. T'Challa squeezed his hand and Bucky blew out a breath, once again glancing back at the black panther and the tiger following them at a what he felt was a way too short distance.

Okay, he thought to himself then, he could do this, audience or not, at least they couldn't throw in stupid comments.

"T'Challa...is this a good moment to talk now?" He spoke up and didn't exactly regret it the moment the words were out, as much as he had wanted to enjoy the beautiful day and the wonderful nature around them. They had come out here for a reason, to have privacy and to be able to talk without anyone interrupting them. T'Challa glanced at him as they continued walking.  
"About what?" He wanted to know and Bucky squeezed his hand, let them swing between them for a moment, before he hectically glanced behind himself again, the very last thing he wanted now was to aggravate either feline.

"About us?" He wanted to say but it still came out as a question and he cursed his insecurities again cursed that not once in his life could he just speak out what he wanted and ask for it directly without his head blaring up in alarm that he didn't deserve it, "About what this means for us? What we want from this relationship?" Alone speaking out that word makes his heart grow two sized in sudden anxiety, despite everything the last weeks had been.

T'Challa remained calm and relaxed, but Bucky had learned to read past that, to see those barely visible fine lines of worry and unease on his face, to see how he swallowed a little heavier than usually. It left them both affected and that calmed him in return, to know that he wasn't the only one who didn't really have a clue on what he was doing.

"What do you want it to mean?" T'Challa asked him and Bucky snorted, raised his eyebrows at him as if that question couldn't answer itself. Him. All of him. For the rest of their lives, but if things were that simple, Bucky would be happily wearing an apron by now and learning to cook.  
"Everything it's allowed to be?" He replied because that was the point, their lives weren't simple, they weren't just two people from different countries and continents who had fallen in love, there was no thought over who could possibly give up their lives to be closer. They both couldn't give up what they had, and neither of them wanted to, they were too happy with what they had.

"Allowed?" T'Challa shot back at him in confusion and turned to look at him without stopping, as if the choice of verb was too puzzling for him to connect with the topic of conversation.  
"Yeah...you know you...you're..." Bucky stuttered and waved his hand back at the black panther following them on silent paws, weaving through the ferns on the side of the path they were taking. It looked back at him in the same confused "huh?" expression that T'Challa was sporting as well.

It was endearing.

"I am?" T'Challa inquired, waiting patiently for Bucky to collect his thoughts, even made a soothing gesture behind his back to have both felines give the poor nervous man at his side a little break.  
"King. You're king, T'Challa." It burst out of Bucky's mouth after a short pause and then they stared at each other, probably both of them wondering just when this conversation had suddenly turned into some weird kind of Disney movie twist scene. They should have probably watched something else late last night when they both couldn't sleep after two rounds of energetic sex.

Talking about the status and future of your relationship with Disney romance at the back of your head was meant to get interesting. They both shook their heads and then Bucky started again, "You're the king, the leader of the most beautiful and amazing country in the world. And I'm not even an Avenger, just some ex-assassin too broken to really work on redeeming himself." He pointed out and T'Challa swallowed down everything he wanted to say about Bucky selling himself short again, it wasn't the focus right now.

"It doesn't change anything." He said and Bucky snorted.

"I'm no expert, but as far as I know, a king usually comes with a queen, or at least needs one." Bucky spoke up, dragging a nervous hand through his hair, T'Challa itched to reach out for him but held himself back, they needed to talk about this, needed to once and for all wipe out the doubts, "He needs an heir, probably two to secure the line and the future of his kingdom. I can't help you with either of those, it's not my place, it's not what your people deserve." Bucky brought the point across and T'Challa closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Bucky..." He said quietly and looked over to the brunet again, saw those wide blue eyes, colored with fear and uncertainty now. It was good to know how much Bucky cared about that side of his life, about how much he cared about a life he never could and never wanted to be a part of. But the hesitance, the doubt over being able to find a place for himself in T'Challa's life, it hurt, just a little, because he loved Bucky. He loved him so much.

"Is this borrowed time?" Bucky wanted to know, interrupting the words T'Challa was still thinking about. Bucky bit his lips, visibly keeping himself from just blurting out what landslide of words were working itself through his head, settling for a question that still showed it all too well, "Like a fairytale meant to end?"

"No!" T'Challa cut through whatever panicked alarm must have built itself up in Bucky's head, and he rushed forward to cup his face in both hands, "No, listen to me, please." He begged and Bucky looked at him, lips pressed tight to keep himself from blurting out more of his fears, he guessed, "This is not borrowed time. It's not a spell, it's not something to be pushed under the carpet when you fly back to New York. I love you, Bucky."

"And I love you, too, but we're not living in some Hollywood RomCom, love's not gonna magically conquer all problems or hurdles thrown our way." Bucky argued and T'Challa smiled despite the seriousness of the topic. Bucky comparing their lives to the one kind of movies he hated so much was really adorable, "I'm starting to realize why we never managed to talk about this before." Bucky grumbled then, "Stop looking at me like this!"

"Like what?" T'Challa wanted to know, leaning back a little and letting of Bucky's face, still smiling, Bucky groaned and set both arms around his waist.  
"All dreamy handsome and in love." Bucky told him and T'Challa felt himself smile even more, "Yes, exactly like that, it's difficult to keep my thoughts focused." He complained but was still smiling himself and T'Challa leaned in to bop their noses together, but then he drew back, only kept their hands loosely intertwined.

"I'm not gonna kid you. It's not gonna be easy, or simple. People are going to talk, a lot, they're gonna start rumors, get dramatic, make up stuff, throw around a lot of lies." T'Challa began and both of them turned serious, Bucky huffed.  
"Sounds exactly like the life I'm living already. Nothing would change, at least not for me." Bucky said in reaction to his words, "But it would for you, and I don't want to pull you into that kind of mess. Not unless you are sure you can and want to take it." Bucky looked over to him and T'Challa smiled.

"I am. I'm in this because I want to be, because I chose. You and me, I want this, because it makes us both happy, because we're even stronger together." Every word flowing from his lips, it let the warmth in his heart grow even bigger still, "I don't want this to be just some short term dream. I'm in it for the long run, no matter what they throw at us, we'll find our way back to each other, because we're stronger than any wall they can built between us. We're not building this on love and magic feelings, we'll talk, we'll listen to each other, because that's what a good relationship is built on."

Bucky blinked and then hurried to catch up with T’Challa who had continued on the path up the forest covered mountain.  
“This is not just...” He called out and then struggled for words again, hands gesturing for a split moment again before his eyes once more flickered behind them and the two big felines following them. They had either decided he was no threat or had come up with a plan to take him down because none of them pulled back their ears anymore.

“A fling?” T’Challa wanted to know and grabbed his hand to pull him along the next curve, “No, Bucky, it’s not just a fling.” He clarified and left no room for arguments.  
“So, we’re going...” Bucky began and then stopped, too busy grinning and smiling, and T'Challa laughed, stroked a thumb over the back of Bucky's hand as they walked side by side.  
“Yes, we’re going steady, old man. Forever and always.” T’Challa teased him and Bucky grinned, “I love you. We’re gonna make it work, we’ll find a way and if there is none to be found, we’re going to create one.” T'Challa summed it up one last time, "And now, come on, the place I want to show you is magical when the sun is the highest."

And Bucky knew his heart skipped more than just a beat then. 

\--

Bucky was lagging behind again when they reached the edge of the jungle and the last hill, and T'Challa moved out of sight, disappearing behind some trees and ferns. His head was so utterly calm now that it almost was able to freak him out again, but the happiness was grounding. Boyfriend. He chuckled again, nearly giggled in delight, only to squeak when a cold nose touched his fingers, the tiger headbutting him to move along where he had stopped halfway up the path again.

"Distance!" Bucky shrieked and jumped into walking again, "Personal space." He muttered and the tiger made a sound that sounded like an annoyed little huff, "Yes, start laughing about me now!"  
"Are you coming?" T'Challa called back to him and Bucky swung his gaze away from the patiently blinking tiger, grumbling under his breath as he climbed the last feet and then pushed himself past the wall of ferns, blinking himself then against the onslaught of direct sunlight.

"Wow." was the first thing he was able to say when he could see again, turning in circles to catch all of the breathtaking view out here on the edge of the cliffside. The jungle covered mountain at their backs, the sheer endless world at their feet, down below where jungle and green meadows mixed with desert stripes. And over it all throned not only the mountains, but most of all the thundering blue waterfall.

Almost 100 feet down below the edge of the cliff it ended in a small lake, sheltered by all sides by the rocky cliffside and thick jungle green.

"This is...this is the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my life." Bucky whispered and took some more steps until his toes were reaching out over the cliff. Heights weren't a problem for him, had never been an issue, even as a kid he had liked to be up high, to look around, to see the world from above. He had dreamed of going higher and higher, to see the stars come closer. 

"Do you want to jump?" T'Challa asked and curled both arms around his waist from behind, stepping close enough that his chest was flush against Bucky's back.  
"From up here?" Bucky wanted to know, voice rising a bit high as he glanced down the waterfall, calculating the distance, "You sure that lake is deep enough?" T'Challa chuckled against his neck, the rumbling in his chest sending chills down Bucky's back until his toes curled pleasantly for a moment.

"Not from up here, there is a platform lower, it's safe to jump from there." Bucky followed the hand that pointed down and saw the small edge maybe thirty feet above the lake.  
"And do we get there?" He asked, pushing back against T'Challa, dropping his head against the other man's shoulder.

"Small path, not far from here, more some improvised staircase really." T'Challa explained and Bucky hummed, soaking up the sun on his skin and smiling when T'Challa turned his face towards him and breathed some kisses against his jaw.   
"Soon, okay? I'd really love to stay right here for a moment." Bucky whispered and T'Challa mumbled an agreement against his neck. They turned silent again and listened to nature around them, felt the soft breeze of the wind and the heat of the sun on their faces.

\--

They climbed down the narrow nature made staircase until they reached the bottom of the waterfall and the beautiful looking lake going out from it. T'Challa set down the backpack and they undressed themselves down to their shorts before Bucky let T'Challa lead him back up to the small plateau from where they could safely jump.

Once they were up, T'Challa send him a small cocky smirk before jumping head first into the water below, coming up several feet further towards the waterfall.  
"Come on, Buck! There is a cave, I want to show you, but we'll have to dive." He called up to Bucky who had gotten distracted by the sight of his boyfriend with water dropping down his hair and face, surrounded by the surreal but all so real beauty of the waterfall at his back. He shook his head and jumped, breaking the surface of the warm water and nearly sighed right then and there to how perfect it felt.

He reached T'Challa with some strokes and let himself be pulled into the kiss, "Follow me?" T'Challa asked him when they pulled apart again and Bucky nodded. They explored the cave behind the waterfall, took turns jumping and Bucky took his time swimming and diving until he knew every corner of the lake.

\--

They took a break after maybe two hours, laid out on the shore in the sand, let the sun dry their bodies and lazily smiled at each other. And when Bucky got up to grab the water from the backpack, he got a little surprise.

As he reached into the backpack, his hand brushed past interesting discoveries as he tried to find the water bottle, and he raised both eyebrows as he blinked at lube and condoms. Looking back up, he found T'Challa shaking his head behind a hand splayed over his face.  
"You know...these girls are about as subtle as a forty ton truck in a small town." He pointed out and T'Challa hummed behind his palm, "Though I'm not complaining." He added with a small smirk and the hand on the king's face slowly slipped off, revealing a surprised face.

"Really?" He wanted to know, clearing his throat when his voice had gotten a little thin, Bucky grinned, slipped lube and condom into his shorts and then walked T'Challa backwards into the water again, "Didn't you want to drink something?" He asked, but already grinning himself, hands coming up to rest on Bucky's hips as they slowly submerged themselves in the warm water again.

"Changed my mind." Bucky whispered and then pushed T'Challa against the rocks, gentle and careful, but also with clear intentions. T'Challa understood and smirked, catching his lips in a hungry kiss as he lifted himself up on the rocks, pulling Bucky between his legs, wrapping his legs around the brunet's waist, "Oh, this is good." T'Challa gasped as they broke apart again, giving Bucky the chance to kiss and bite a path down to his collarbone.

T'Challa gasped and rocked his hips against Bucky's, let his legs pulled him even closer, both of them already more than half hard.

"You said this was private?" Bucky panted when T'Challa keened his back into his touch, hands flying up to clutch at his shoulders.  
"Yeah..." He answered quick, breathing hitched, "Got two unbribable bodyguards having our back right now." He panted through his words as well, hips rocking, a moan escaping his lips when Bucky kissed along his chest.

"Don't want to think of the damn tiger right now, Chall." Bucky grumbled and reached back with one hand to get lube and condom out of his shorts before he lost them to the water, "It would only laugh at me again."  
"Better than biting." T'Challa chuckled and then groaned when Bucky kissed him again and palmed him through his shorts to effectively shut him up and have him focus on Bucky.

\--

"Nature sex."

"Check."

"Sex in a lake."

"Check."

"Sex in a waterfall."

"Check." Bucky giggled and then laughed, still working on catching his breath after two rounds of sex, the latter of which had somehow ended up under the stream of the outer edges of the waterfall, pushing the sensation to complete new heights. T'Challa snorted and laughed himself where he was resting on his back on the shore next to him, feet still in the water.  
"I didn't know we had a list." He pointed out and Bucky laughed harder, rolled onto his side with a deep groan and buried his face in T'Challa's shoulder.

"If there was a list, we would be rocking it." Bucky concluded and both of them were laughing again, turning towards each other and then weakly wrestling playfully until T'Challa had Bucky pinned down. He rested his head on Bucky's chest and pushed a leg between Bucky's own ones, utterly content and happy. Bucky himself hummed and pushed both arms around him, fingers lazily dancing over still drying skin.

"I love you." T'Challa told him after a moment of silence and Bucky felt his heart warm up even more, beating the sun to its job and he tipped T'Challa's chin up so he could kiss him.  
"I love you, too. And you're right, I should stop worrying about the future so much. What we have is stronger than the doubts that will come our way. We'll make our way." Bucky spoke quietly and T'Challa turned to kiss his collarbone.

"Exactly." He agreed and then blindly threw out a hand to fumble around for the backpack, rummaging around in it until he found the water bottle.   
"How long do we have until we need to go back?" Bucky wanted to know, watching T'Challa as he drank, fingers tracing along the paths of water drops rolling down his chest and arms.

"Unless we are trying for a seriously pissed Toko, we got two hours. If we want to risk that, we got even more time until they will start to get nervous over us getting lost in the jungle or having fallen down a cave." T'Challa explained and Bucky hummed in understanding.  
"Did you ever?" He wanted to know then and T'Challa looked up at him, setting the water bottle to the side again.

"Did I ever what? Gotten lost?" He huffed down at him and Bucky grinned, raising an eyebrow, "No, I have not. I can claim a very good sense of direction for myself."  
"Oh, you totally got lost once. At least once." Bucky caught onto the special kind of tone hidden away in T'Challa's voice, who propped himself up above him and scoffed.  
"I was eight, alright? I was a curious child and my father and Hunter had both been faster than me. I didn't get lost exactly, I was just extremely lagging behind." He defended himself, Bucky threw back his head in loud laughter upon the pouting look on his boyfriend's face, "I did not get lost." T'Challa repeated and suddenly his fingers were dancing over Bucky's rips.

Bucky shrieked, rolled until he could find his feet under himself and then dashed away, scrambling up on the rocks to their left, laughing at the top of his lungs, dancing and jumping out of quick hands. Throwing himself head first off the small plateau into the blue water. When he came back up, grinning from one ear to the other, blinking up into the sun and at T'Challa standing in the spot up on the plateau where he had jumped from just seconds ago.

"You want to tickle me? Come and get me!" He called up to him and then took a deep breath when T'Challa grinned. He dove under water and pushed himself forward. It didn't take long until he felt the waves of someone breaking the surface and then a hand reaching for his ankle. They twisted around and away from each other for while until both of them needed to come up for air, meeting in a kiss once their lungs were filled again.

"You ready for round three?"

"Always."

\--

"We're still teasing him about it, don't let him fool you." Tokomi told Bucky and then quickly dodged the towel that came flying her way from the sink, she watched how Bucky laughed and then placed the wine glasses on the table where Sam was still setting out plates.  
"You weren't even born back then." T'Challa reminded her in a loud grumble that had Bucky snicker and Tokomi grinned, stirred the sauce in the pot again but turning sideways to look at her cousin who was checking on the meat in the oven.

"Doesn't mean I didn't get to hear the story over and over again. Crown Prince lost in woods, the long longed for Black Panther heir too confused to find his way back to the path." Bucky set the last glass down on the table and then laughed, clutching the back of a chair to keep himself from doubling over, head thrown back, Tokomi grinned harder and went on, "Uncle had so many versions of it, the right level of drama for the right audience." She saw how T'Challa straightened up again and exchanged a look with Sam that told her more or less everything about him having stopped that overbearing protectiveness before it could have really started.

Shuri was gonna be grumpy about that.

"Personally, I love the one the most that ends up in you having to fight that aligator to cross the river to get back to the right path." She chuckled and Bucky gave up, helpless laughter rolling through his chest and exploding from his lips as he fell into a chair and buried his face in his hands. T'Challa tried to look affronted for a moment but quickly gave up, all of them unable to keep up a straight face upon seeing Bucky this lost in laughter.

"Or how about..."

"Okay, stop it." T'Challa threw another towel at her, "He's gonna choke if you keep this up." He told her, sticking out his tongue and all as he walked over to Bucky, stroking a hand through his hair, soothing, but Bucky had the giggles. Was laughing and laughing, hiccuping. "How long are you staying?" T'Challa changed tactics and sat down next to Bucky, one hand gently rubbing the small of his back, looking over to Sam.

"Two more days. Not enough spontaneous vacation time for active Avengers.", Sam answered him, slowly crossing the room again until he could stand next to Tokomi, nudging his hip against hers.  
"Not even when Captain America and Iron Man are fighting over cake?" T'Challa grinned and Bucky gave another helpless snort, letting his body fall to the side and against T'Challa's shoulder who drew up an arm around his waist.

"Especially not then, but lemme tell you, this wedding can't come fast enough for all of us. They'll be gone for six weeks then, Tony didn't budge on his honeymoon demand. For the rest of us, it'll be like the longest ongoing college party." Sam explained with a smirk and Tokomi grinned, glancing over to T'Challa with a little mischief. It wasn't like Naomi, Shuri and her hadn't done it any different when T'Challa had left the country for the first time with T'Chaka after the isolation rules had been lifted.

"Oh, tell me about it." T'Challa began slowly and Tokomi felt her grin slipping, eyes narrowing as his began to get brighter, "I could tell you stories about the time my father and I came back from our first joined trip outside the country."  
"Oh do tell." Sam said and then laughed, skipping away from Tokomi who waved the cooking spoon in his direction.

"I don't know what they did, they are certainly still keeping quiet about it. But whatever it was, it drove Okoye to press T'Chaka to banning strawberry tea in the palace and it send Faraji packing for a spontaneous trip to visit his parents." T'Challa explained and laughed when Tokomi pouted, "And after all that bullshit, he got up to with me back in England, that's gotta mean something." And together with Sam he laughed, Tokomi threw her hands up.

"Oh my god, I want to kick you all to the moon." She complained and Bucky looked at her, composed now again while both other men were laughing loudly, "Yeah, look all innocent, Buck-Buck, you can't fool me anymore."  
"It works with Shuri." He grinned, all dimples and cute sweetness, T'Challa turned to kiss his temple, Tokomi rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, you're dating her big brother. Whatever you do, you'll never trump his evilness." She made clear and Bucky snorted, quickly leaned in to kiss T'Challa when he frowned at his cousin and made to open his mouth.

\--

"So, you two are giving this the long shot then?" Tokomi said when they were already almost done with dinner and T'Challa looked over to her, "Steady going relationship, turning a blind eye and deaf ears on everything people might say."  
"Yes, exactly like that." Bucky answered her before T'Challa could, "Whatever happens, we'll face it together, deal with it together."

They smiled at each other, curled their hands around each others on the table and across from them Sam and Tokomi shared a sweet look as well, him leaning back, one arm on the back of her chair.  
"You can be sure we'll have your back, whatever happens. Good or bad." Sam told them and Bucky grinned at him, all happy and loose, they shared a long look, full of unsaid words that Tokomi still knew both of them understood perfectly.

\--

The next day, Bucky was afternoon napping in the shade out on the patio, having previously watched T'Challa swim his rounds in the pool before closing his eyes when the other man had went in to take a shower and get dressed. They weren't really expecting anyone for the day, Shuri was busy with preparations for Hunter's trial in the palace, Tokomi had taken Sam out of the city for the day and Naomi was running a training exercise with new recruits.

They spent the morning sorting through pictures they had taken in the last weeks, laughing and grinning over them and taking a lot of time to argue over the perfect choice for the one T'Challa wanted to print out and stick in a frame to put in his office and his bedrooms. And Bucky had saved those he wanted for home on the online google account that would sent Tony into hysterics again.

Then they had cooked together again and Bucky had been incredibly proud of himself when the vegetables he had been responsible for had actually turned out pretty great. 

A hand sliding up his bare back had him grin and sigh into the pillow he had dragged out from the living room, sliding over on the couch to let T'Challa join him.  
"You're turning into a cat, you know." He hummed and stroked through Bucky's hair, "Napping so much at random intervals. You gonna shriek when I throw you into the water?" T'Challa joked and Bucky popped open one eye to glare at him.

"Don't you dare." He warned and T'Challa chuckled, gesturing for Bucky to sit up which he did reluctantly, he had been so comfortable.  
"I've got something for you, but it comes with one condition." T'Challa told him and revealed the black box he had brought out with himself, Bucky stared at him, waiting, "You need to promise me that this never gets into Stark's hands. No matter what happens, I don't want him to take this apart and poke around in it."

"Of course." Bucky promised and frowned slightly, definitely confused, but T'Challa smiled again and opened the box, pulling out a sleek black "Phone? I got a phone." Bucky said in growing confusion and T'Challa chuckled.  
"I know you do, darling, this is just a little more special. Call me." He dared him, pushing the phone into his hands and Bucky let his fingers quickly fly over the display, breaking out into a grin when he found the contact list filled with not only T'Challa's number, but Shuri's, Faraji's, Tokomi's and Naomi's as well. 

He pressed call on T'Challa's number and then waited until T'Challa pulled out his own phone to accept, and then he stared. He stared at the mirror image of him projected into the air right next to him and then right next to T'Challa when he angled his phone another way. Quickly looking to his other side, Bucky let his lips be pulled into a bright grin when he saw T'Challa smiling back at him from the projection his own phone was creating.

A life sized hologram.

"Oh my god." He managed to stutter out after a short moment, and then he ended the call and threw himself at T'Challa, giving him just enough time to set his own phone to the side before he pinned him down on the couch, kissing him deep and maybe a little more forceful than intended. But T'Challa didn't complain, just pulled him closer and then smiled up at him when they came up for air again.

"I thought long distance could be easier like this." T'Challa cheekily proposed and Bucky nodded, catching another two kisses, "And you know, there is also phone sex, no awkward describing of what you're doing." And Bucky grinned, "But mostly, I just want to see you, see your face when you're happy and when you're feeling down. I wanna know what's going on when words become difficult."

"Oh, I love you so much."

\--

In the evening, Shuri joined them, flopping onto the couch and merely groaning about stupid trials and meetings and Faraji working overnight to Bucky before letting her face fall against his shoulder. T'Challa swung himself into the kitchen and Bucky offered a shoulder massage, and it didn't feel weird at all when the siblings began to talk in Wakandian about Shuri's day, Bucky was so happy.

Shuri joined them for the biweekly phonecall to the Barton household.

„Can you make me a princess?“ Lila's way of greeting them didn't ever get boring and Bucky immediately raised an eyebrow at Cooper sitting on the couch right next to his sister, smirking a little. It told Bucky enough about the level of siblings annoyance going on again right that afternoon in the Barton, and the fact that Clint is standing in the kitchen, clutching a coffee mug in such relief over probably having distracted the kids from screaming at each other, was only more proof for that.

“Lila, please…” Coop just gave the last shove in the right direction with his long suffering sigh, oh teenage boys, what a glory. Bucky caught the begging look Clint sent towards the laptop camera.  
“How about letting you talk to a real princess?” T'Challa offered in a counter move and turned the laptop to reveal Shuri sitting in the armchair and then chuckled when Lila's mouth dropped open. And even Cooper got really quiet all of a sudden.

They sat back and watched while Lila recovered from her shock with one long exhale and then fired out questions after questions at a speed that even a skilled interrogator would have probably gone slackjawed at. Shuri just smiled and answered. And Bucky got aware that his status as ultimate favourite just got dropped to second place, he could play as many tea parties or doll weddings or tag games as he wanted from now on, nothing would ever top Shuri anymore.

Didn't hurt. Shuri was his favourite, too.

So he settled for signing back and forth with Clint for a while, while T'Challa rubbed his back with one hand and laughed over what Shuri said in reply to Lila.

“Can you bring T’Challa with you when you come home for Christmas, Bucky?” The focus turned back to him after roughly twenty minutes. Wanda had come down by then, still sleepy looking but glowing with a smile when she caught sight of them, sitting down in an armchair in the corner of the camera view. Laura and Nate were still out.  
“Cooper…” Clint warned in the background and Bucky made to open his mouth as well

“Please?”

“We’ll see if I can make the time.” T'Challa chose the diplomatic middle ground, but where Cooper smiled in satisfaction, Lila frowned and Bucky knew that was always a sign for the good questions to come out and he smirked a little as a leaned back.  
“But you’re the king? Can’t you do whatever you want and the people have to listen to you?” Lila wanted to know, face so serious that it was endearing again, T'Challa blinked and Shuri snorted.

“I like this one.” She declared and Lila positively started beaming brighter than the sun itself, T'Challa scowled at his sister before turning back to Lila Barton.  
“A king still has to work, Lila, and he holds a great responsibility to make himself available to his people at any time.” He explained and Lila nodded once, but then quickly had the next question on her lip, Bucky shared a grin with Cooper and Wanda.  
“Can’t you talk to them on the phone?” The little girl with the pigtails wanted to know and T'Challa was gaping at her, Shuri whistled.

“Wow, she is good.”

“If you can’t come, you can’t keep Bucky with you." Lila made it abundantly clear what the stakes were, looking mildly terrifying for a little child, T'Challa nodded at her, dead serious and Shuri was biting her lips, grin showing in her eyes, "Bucky has to come home for Christmas. That’s non..non ni…” She stumbled over the word and helplessly glanced at her brother.  
“Non-negotiable.” Cooper jumped in helpfully and Bucky stared at the laptop screen, while T’Challa snorted into his hand and Shuri was laughing, most importantly he was staring at Clint smirking into his coffee in the back of the kitchen.

“You’re unbelievable,” he muttered after a moment and Lila and Cooper both turned around to look at their father, Clint grinned and shrugged his shoulders, “I’ll be home for Christmas, I promise, and T’Challa will see if he can make it, maybe for New Year's if Christmas cuts it too short. That sound okay?” Bucky looked to T'Challa first who nodded and kissed his cheek and then to Cooper who grinned, and lastly to Lila who made a big show out of thinking hard for a few seconds before nodding as well.

“Will you bring us something from Wakanda?” Lila quickly shot at him then, eyes growing round and big and Bucky could feel his spine melting in place already.  
“Please?” Cooper joined as well and Bucky felt T'Challa look at him, amused and as if he already knew how screwed Bucky was right now. And he probably did. Bucky had seen Tokomi and Naomi when they wanted something.

“Maybe.” Bucky relented after a short moment then and both older Barton kids leaned closer towards the screen, looking like the perfect picture of innocence.  
“Please, Bucky!” Another voice joined into the begging and Bucky deadpanned at the young woman appearing beside Cooper.  
“Not you, too, Wanda.” He complained but she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Just come home for Christmas." Clint ended the whole puppy eyes routine by sliding the laptop around so it only showed him, rendering the immediate protest from several mouths quiet with a single whistle, "Now say goodbye kids, Bucky, T'Challa and Princess Shuri certainly are tired from their day."

"Bye!" It chorused from three voices and then Clint waved into the camera before the screen turned black. T'Challa laughed when he shut down his laptop and then pulled Bucky against his chest.  
"I like them, they're sweet." He quietly spoke into his hair and Bucky snorted, looking over to Shuri who was already well on her way to falling asleep right there in the armchair.  
"You found Clint annoying on all levels the last time you were up in New York." Bucky reminded T'Challa and he huffed.

"Yeah, well his kids are amazing. Biological and quasi adopted ones." T'Challa told him and gently pushed until they could both get to their feet, "And Laura is an amazing woman."  
"Yeah." Bucky agreed and smiled, feeling the warmth in his heart, Laura had taken him in, given him something he hadn't known to need, a place to be whatever he wanted to be, a mother's shoulder to cry on, a mother who touched his cheek and ruffled his hair. She had taken him into her family and her heart and had let him heal, "She really is."

T'Challa just smiled at him and then picked up Shuri, who snuffled quietly but then rolled her head against his shoulder and went limp. He carried her into the guest room and Bucky followed, pulling back the covers so that T'Challa could lay his sister down, and then covering Shuri with it again. T'Challa was already in the corridor again when Bucky made to pull back himself, but Shuri surprised him with a quickly snapped hand around his wrist, drawing him down again.

"I'm really glad you found each other, Bucky. You make him so happy." Shuri whispered at him and Bucky flushed, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"He makes me very happy, too. Goodnight, Shuri."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how long this will be, there is so much they could experience together, so I decided to start this before having a complete fic, especially because I love to write in feedback or ideas for future scenes. If anyone would rather read this once it's finished, leave a comment or a message to my tumblr (strike-team-alpha) and I'll try to get in contact with you once the story is completed.
> 
> Otherwise, I hoped you enjoyed the beginning. And if you have any ideas on what you would love to see happen? Leave a comment or a message! Thank you!


End file.
